Sheila Hancock: A tank should symbolically mow down Tower of London Remembrance Day poppy display

The actress outlined her novel idea – which would also serve as a reminder of the brutality of the First World War – on the Andrew Marr Show

Sheila Hancock has come up with a fitting way to dismantle the Tower of London poppy memorial – mow the entire ceramic display down with a tank.

The actress outlined her novel idea – which would also serve as a reminder of the brutality of the First World War – on the Andrew Marr Show today.

She said that the art installation, made up of 888,426 ceramic poppies, should be “shattered and broken” to remind those who went to visit it of the number of lives lost by servicemen and woman fighting for Britain and the Commonwealth.

“I know there’s all this discussion about what happens to it,” she said.

“I think what should happen is a tank should mow down the poppies and leave them shattered and broken like the bodies of the guys that died.

“I think it would be an amazing image. It would take away any danger we have of thinking ‘Oh it’s so beautiful, isn’t it wonderful,’ and it would remind us.

“Have the beautiful thing, and then destroy it.”

Hancock’s inspired suggestion comes after David Cameron pledged his support for the agreement to extend the memorial.

“I think the exhibition of the poppies has really caught the public imagination... people have found that incredibly moving,” the Prime Minister said on Saturday.

“What we’ve managed to do is find a way of saving part of the exhibition for the nation and making sure it will be seen by many more people.”

A section of the memorial will now be preserved until the end of November.

However, a team of 8,000 volunteers will begin the slow process of removing many of the poppies on Monday.