Brits on a stag do told to leave 9/11 memorial after taking selfies with blow-up doll

A group of British men celebrating a stag do have caused offence after taking selfies with a blow-up doll at the 9/11 memorial, in New York.

The men took the photos on Friday (9 September) – just two days before the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

The Daily Mail reported that the men are believed to be from London, and worked on Wall Street. However, IBTimes UK could not confirm this information.

Photos take at the time show one of the men carrying the naked inflatable doll of a woman under his arm.

There were no photographs showing the men doing anything else with the doll.

Rosanne Hughes, 61, from the New Jersey 9/11 Memorial Foundation told MailOnline: "I'm speechless. I don't even have any words for that – that's a disgrace.

"That is sacred ground, I lost my husband and I don't even know what to say – it's disgusting."

The memorial, which has every victims' name inscribed on the panels, is a tribute to the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001.

A police officer approached the men and questioned them.

The men reportedly said they were on a stag party, but would not reply to further questions. They were asked to leave the site.

Some New Yorkers have stated that they are hesitant to attend the 15th anniversary of the attacks, due to sensitive memories, such as the passing of loved ones.

When one of the men, who was believed to be the groom, was questioned he replied: "It's just a bachelor party."

Jim Riches, a former chief in the Fire Department, whose son, died on 9/11 told The New York Times: "I know plenty of guys who won't go down there because they were there for months when it was Dante's inferno.

"The memories are just too much. They simply won't go back."

Hughes, who lost her husband in the attack, continued "We hear things like this and I honestly think it's disgraceful to take selfies of anybody there laughing and smiling when they haven't lived the life we've lived for 15 years and the people we've lost".