THE GOVERNMENT should take action to protect memorials to Britain's war dead from vandalism and desecration.

That's the call from Enfield Southgate MP David Burrowes who has proposed that vandalising a war memorial should become a specific offence with a jail sentence of up to ten years.

The offence is currently treated as any other type of low-level criminal damage - and vandals can only be sentenced to up to six months in prison by a magistrate.

Mr Burrowes, Conservative, said: "We wanted to ensure there were a greater range of punishments available to magistrates. I'm seeking to open the way up for vandalism of war memorials to be dealt with by the crown courts."

As well as greater punishment for those who vandalise memorials, Mr Burrowes is calling for special legal status to give protection against developers - which doesn't currently exist.

He added: "For example Southgate Town Hall has a memorial, but it has always been at a risk of development and presently there is no requirement for any developer to pay attention to the memorial. So there is a great risk."

Mr Burrowes has written to Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, and Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, urging them to take action.

The MP's campaign follows an attack on a memorial in Broomfield Park, Enfield, in August last year. Bronze memorials to British soldiers killed in the word wars were stolen by thieves thought to have sold them for scrap. The memorial has since been restored.

"It all started with the attacks in Enfield," said Mr Burrowes.

"It was that attack that made me look in to what could be done nationally to protect war memorials. We must ensure we remember all the names who gave their lives in our name."

There are thought to be more than 100,000 war memorials across Britain but no formal register exists. Many of the memorials are not legally owned by anyone as they were paid for with small private donations.

Mr Burrowes is calling for Enfield residents to contact him so the information can be passed to the Imperial War Museum which is attempting to create a national inventory.

The War Memorials Trust is compiling a register of all First World War memorials which it hopes to complete with public help by 2014, the centenary of the outbreak of the conflict.