'Missing' Altwood memorial plaque has not been stolen

A memorial plaque commemorating four Altwood schoolboys who died on a ski trip in 1988 has not been stolen.

The metal plaque has gone from its brick plinth which stands near the entrance to the school in Altwood Road, Maidenhead.

It was reported missing to police by caretaker Terry Freshwater last week after he returned from a holiday to discover it had vanished.

A police community message was sent out on Friday appealing for information.

But after contacting school staff, Mr Freshwater discovered the plaque has actually been sent off for restoration work which he had not been informed about.

It is expected to be reinstated within the next week or two.

The plaque remembers Altwood classmates Lee Powell, 15, Andrew Watts, 14, Daniel Howton, 14, and Michael Taylor, 13, who died after falling 300ft from a precipice in the Austrian Alps.

A bronze statue called The Companions which also stands in memory of the boys was stolen from Ray Mill Island last year, to the disgust of the community.

Cut up parts of it were found by police at a scrapyard in Maidenhead. The only man to face charges relating to the incident, Adam Brettell, avoided jail.

A replacement of the four-foot tall boy, a football and a dog was recently installed on the island after thousands of pounds were raised to fund it.