Vandals in Braunton damage the Memorial Shelter

VANDALS have struck again in Braunton causing damage this time to the new Memorial Shelter in two separate attacks.

The first attack took place on October 25 when graffiti was scrawled on the granite stonework in blue marker pen and marks made on the oak beams.

Piles of ash were left on the floor, after a bonfire.

No sooner had that been cleared up when vandals targeted the shelter again on Friday night, spraying gold paint on the oak beams and granite surfaces.

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The memorial shelter, which overlooks the main road, was built by the Environment Agency as part of the village's flood defence works and was only opened in June.

The vandalism follows hot on the heels of damage caused earlier to the Illingworth Shelter on the Recreation Ground, which destroyed the stone seating.

The latest bout at the Memorial Shelter has caused the parish council further dismay, not least because the building features in the village's Remembrance Sunday parade this weekend.

Parish Clerk Tracey Weaver said the council's workman had now removed the gold paint and sanded down the oak beams.

She said: "We are trying to keep on top of it because we don't want the public to get upset.

"We are very apprehensive about next weekend because people are going to be visiting the shelter to sit and remember loved ones they have lost and if this kind of thing is going on this is going to have a big impact on the community."

She wanted to bring the damage to the public's attention so they can keep an eye out, especially at weekends when the council offices are closed. She appealed to people to alert the police if they saw any suspicious activity.

"The police have said if they get a report of possible vandalism when it is happening they can get people out there straight away," she said.

PC Mark Langworthy said officers were in the process of identifying and speaking to possible offenders and, if there was enough evidence, they could expect the minimum of a caution or a criminal conviction.

He said: "We are also going into the school to do a big assembly for Years 9, 10 and 11, where we will be talking about a number of issues and mentioning what is likely to happen to anyone caught offending."

He said the police had done a lot of work with the parish council regarding crime prevention, including the use of vandal-proof furniture.

He urged members of the public to phone 999 immediately if they saw vandalism taking place or 101 for a non-emergency.