The attack on the plinth, which is dedicated to author Ralph Hale Mottram and overlooks the city on Mousehold Heath, has caused widespread anger among locals and senior politicians.

Paul Hill, who lives in Vincent Road, not far from the memorial, said: "You show no national pride or respect for your country's flag by vandalising a memorial.

"Ralph Hale Mottram believed in public service, learning from the past, and that conflict leads to a 'nightmare of waste.'

"Those are English values, not spray paint and vandalism."

The Ralph Mottram memorial was vandalised(Image: Paul Hill)

The damage to the memorial - on the crest of St James' Hill on Mousehold, one of the most famous views of Norwich, with a view of most of the city's skyline - was discovered on Sunday morning and has been reported to police.

Ralph Mottram(Image: submitted)

The vandalism comes after a period when Union Jacks and St George Crosses have been appearing on lampposts across the county and country.

The appearance of the flags has been controversial. Some view the displays as a patriotic gesture and reclamation of the nation's flags, while others regard them as an intentionally divisive challenge to the presence of asylum seekers and immigrants.

The Ralph Mottram memorial on Mousehold Heath has been vandalised(Image: Sonya Duncan)

Mottram, who was elected Lord Mayor in the coronation year of 1953, was the son of........

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