Two men arrested after Stephen Lawrence memorial damaged

The plaque marks the south London street where the 18-year-old was murdered

Stephen Lawrence was stabbed to death by white youths in 1993 (Getty Images)

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage following an attack on the Stephen Lawrence memorial plaque.

Officers were called to the spot on Well Hall Road, in south east London, at around 12.40am on Sunday.

The men, aged 18 and 19, were taken into custody and have been released on police bail pending further inquiries until 29 May.

It is believed that a flowerpot containing flowers was smashed and that the plaque was spat at.

The memorial was set into the pavement in 1995 to mark the spot where the 18-year-old black teenager was murdered in a racist attack nearly 21 years ago.  

Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of his murder in 2012.

Earlier this month, the Home Secretary Theresa May launched a public inquiry into the role of undercover officers, following the release of the Ellison report into alleged police corruption in the original murder investigation.