Shrewsbury town police are investigating how a tombstone marking the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” was kept in place and became a tourist attraction.

Town Clerk Helen Ball said the town is discussing what should be done to fix or replace the stone that is “extremely popular” with residents and visitors. At this time of year, organized tours of the locations used in the film go to the grounds of St Chad’s Church to see the markers.

“There’s not much to see other than broken pieces of gravestones,” Ball told The Associated Press. “You can’t see right now that it says Ebenezer Scrooge because it’s so damaged. This is extremely insulting.”

The film was one of dozens of adaptations of Charles Dickens’ classic, starring George C. Scott as the cold-hearted gangster. After going to sleep on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of the past, present, and future and shown the error of his ways to become a kinder, more generous person.

The ghost of the future shows Scrooge what will happen to his life if he does not change. Eventually she is taken to a cemetery where a ghost shovels snow from a gravesite which reveals her name. Scrooge, distraught by what he saw, vows to turn his life around.

West Mercia Police said the stone was vandalized sometime between Thursday and Sunday. In the pictures it is seen broken into many pieces.

Ball said that if the crook was caught he would not mind getting poetic justice.

He said, “If the ghosts of the past, present and future wanted to come in the middle of the night and pluck him down and tear him to pieces, I think that would be a perfect punishment.”

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