VANDALS pushed a heavy coping stone from a pillar on top of one of Darlington's most distinctive bridges into the River Skerne.

They also twisted scaffolding poles put up around Polam Bridge, in Victoria Embankment.

Dog-walkers in nearby South Park said the vandals had returned on subsequent nights and had tried to dislodge further coping stones on the other pillars, damaging them in the process. The original damage took place last Saturday, only a day after the scaffolding was put in place to allow general repair work to take place.

The ornamental iron bridge was built in 1891 to provide an attractive gateway to South Park.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said steps are being taken to repair the damage and to remove the coping stone from the river.