VANDALS who destroyed an award-winning flower bed have been condemned by a village mayor.
Floral displays in Sedgefield are regularly attacked by drunken youths each weekend.
The latest incident, which is being investigated by police, happened at the end of last week when a gang of youths ripped off flower heads and trampled beds on the village green.
One villager said: "There's always a little bit of vandalism on a weekend with people coming out of pubs, but this seems to be a concerted attack on one of the larger flower beds."
The village has had considerable success in recent years in the Northumbria in Bloom competition and residents are proud of their displays.
Mayor Ian Sutherland said: "I am angered at this act of vandalism on the village green.
"The village gardener, Stephen Young, has to repair damage virtually every week. We try to make the village green attractive and I just can't understand the mentality of these people."
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