SPRINGHILL Community Group has vowed to remove a written slur against two soldiers shot dead in a weekend gun attack.

The graffiti appeared within hours of the first reports that two soldiers had been gunned down by dissidents at Massareene Barracks in Antrim on Sunday.

Earlier this week, the Chronicle travelled to Springhill, where leading community figure Paul Gallagher revealed plans to remove the graffiti.

"We will be removing this. Who wants to look at it beside our Tyrone mural? There is no politics behind it and I would say it was just youngsters," Mr Gallagher said.

A resident who lives close to where the scrawl appeared on Sunday said he didn't believe there was community support for it.

"I don't think too many would agree with it and I hope it doesn't get the area a bad name. I would imagine it was young people with too much time on their hands.

"As for the overall picture, I hope we aren't going back to The Troubles because we have all enjoyed the peace of the last few years. There was no call for what happened at the weekend and no call for this graffiti," he said.

Another resident said she wanted the graffiti removed and that there was no support for the triple killing earlier this week.

"That graffiti isn't the view of the people of Springhill. It's nice and quiet these days and I hope it stays that way," she said.