VANDALS have caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage at one of North Yorkshire's most popular tourist destinations.

A display installed specially to help disabled people enjoy a visit to Richmond Castle has been wrecked.

Heavy wooden benches were also dragged from their usual places with an apparent attempt made to block the well-head near the keep.

Broken bottles were also found in the grounds of the 11th century ruin, owned by English Heritage.

Area manager, Meryl Starmer, said yesterday: "We are just so sad about it. We know the people of Richmond are proud of their castle and it is a dreadful thing to happen. All the public money we have to spend to put right this damage means we can't devote it to spending on the monument itself."

Repairs are likely to cost in the region of £300, and English Heritage is hoping the public will help prevent a repeat, reporting anything they see or hear to the police immediately.

Miss Starmer added: "We had to block off the keep until the mess was cleared up and that was inconvenient to visitors.

"The information panel was specially put in when the contemporary heritage garden project at the castle was launched last autumn."