Ian Curtis gravestone stolen

The gravestone of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis has been stolen from a cemetery, police have said.

The memorial is inscribed with 'Ian Curtis 18 - 5 – 80', marking the date the singer hanged himself, and the lyrics "Love Will Tear Us Apart".

Cheshire police said it was taken from Macclesfield Cemetery sometime between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.

"There is no CCTV in the area and there are no apparent leads as to who is responsible for the theft," said a police spokesman.

"This is a very unusual theft and I am confident that someone locally will have knowledge about who is responsible or where the memorial stone is at present."