Restoration work has started on a war memorial in Strabane, County Tyrone, that was vandalised twice earlier this year with sectarian graffiti.

The memorial is one of four being restored across the Derry City and Strabane District Council area, alongside monuments in Londonderry city centre, Castlederg and Sion Mills.

The project is funded by the PEACE Plus Programme with support from the Special EU Programmes Body.

Karen Phillips of Derry City and Strabane District Council said the work will ensure the memorial is carefully conserved for future generations, and that the council looks forward to seeing the transformation and working with partners to maximise the positive impact.

The restoration involves more than preserving the historic structure, Phillips said, with outreach work designed to create opportunities for people from different backgrounds to come together and learn about shared history.

That outreach is being delivered by RAPID, North West Cultural Partnership and Creggan Enterprises, and will engage local schools and community groups.

Reverend Sean McClafferty, chaplain of the Strabane branch of the Royal British Legion, said the 57-year-old memorial was in need of restoration, and that new information boards would help educate sections of the public.

McClafferty described the memorial as a lasting tribute to men from the Strabane area who fought in two world wars and recent conflicts, and said the work should be completed ahead of Remembrance Day in November.

In April, attacks on two consecutive days saw an offensive sectarian term painted on the memorial, which police described as sectarian hate crimes.

The work is being carried out by conservation specialists Irish Stone.