THOUSANDS of pounds of repairs will have to be made to seven parked cars damaged by vandals.

The vandals shattered windows and dented bodywork on five cars, a pick-up truck and motorcycle in and around Barnard Castle.

Two of the cars were in the grounds of Charles Dickens Lodge, a home for senior citizens. One belongs to a resident and the other to a member of staff.

One employee at the home said yesterday: "It is disgusting that hooligans should come into a place like this and do all this damage just for fun."

Three other cars and the motorcycle were parked overnight in Galgate, and the pickup was in Copley, five miles away.

Bricks were hurled through the windscreens and windows of some of the vehicles, and stones were used to dent panels.

As several police officers looked for evidence yesterday, Acting Sergeant Jeremy Downing, of Barnard Castle police, said, "The motorcycle was damaged by being pushed over, but bricks or stones were used on the other vehicles.

"We don't yet know if the same vandals were involved in all the incidents, but they seem to all have happened about the same time on Saturday.

"We can give no overall cost for the damage at this stage, but when any vehicle is damaged in this way the repair bill is bound to be high."

Anyone who witnessed any of the damage is asked to call police on 0845 606 0365.