7/7 memorial urinated on by festival-goers in Hyde Park days before anniversary of London bombings

Police are investigating the offence. Picture: Reddit/wegotblankets

A picture appearing to show Barclaycard Summertime festivalgoers urinating on the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park. (Reddit/wegotblankets)

Police are investigating a picture appearing to show men urinating on the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park days before the anniversary of the London terrorist attacks.

The person who posted the photo on Reddit said the men had been to the Barclaycard Summer Time Festival before the incident on Friday night.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “Police are aware of an image which shows a purported public order offence being committed at the 7/7 memorial.

“Officers are making immediate enquiries. Police take matters of this nature seriously.”

People commenting on Reddit speculated that the men may have been drunk and not realised what they were doing.

Several people admitted that they did not know what the memorial looked like or would not have recognised it in the dark.

One wrote: “It's dumb but if they're genuinely ignorant to the purpose of the monument, it's not malicious.”

But another commenter said it was a “kick in the teeth” for the victims’ families, even if it was unintentional.

Two days later, on the eve of the ninth anniversary of the 2005 attacks, the memorial was defaced with graffiti.

Police had to cordon off the area on Monday so contractors had time to scrub off the red and black graffiti before a memorial service later that day.

Messages sprayed on the memorial read: “Blair lied thousands died”, “Four innocent Muslims” and “July 7 truth”.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said he was “shocked and saddened” by the vandalism, calling it “completely unacceptable”.

The memorial was erected in 2009, with 52 steel pillars representing each victim, grouped together in four clusters reflecting the bombs’ locations.

The date, time and place of each suicide attack is inscribed on each pillar.

The four bombs injured 770 people when they exploded during rush hour on two Underground trains and two buses.

Anyone with information on either incident should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111.