A SET of seats installed in Richmond nearly 100 years ago to mark Queen Victoria's golden jubilee have been smashed up in an attack which has angered local historians.

Two benches at Burgage Pasture, at Westfields, were damaged and another was dismantled and stolen.

Police are investigating the theft and damage of the seats, which are a popular feature of the coast-to-coast walk. They have already recovered bits of the stolen one from a van at Barton Lorry Park

Six seats, installed with 18 others in 1906, have cast iron supports shaped in the form of a snake. Local historian Mike Porter, who lives nearby, said the seats were an irreplaceable part of Richmond's heritage.

"I couldn't believe the extent of the damage. The seat had been broken up and the two cast iron supports, with big stone foundation blocks attached, had been dragged across the grass to the road where the fence had been broken down, presumably so the bits could be loaded into a vehicle," he said.

"The seats are part of Richmond's heritage and are irreplaceable.

"It seems the thieves may have been disturbed, because two similar seats nearby had been uprooted and one had been damaged by a crowbar and then left."

Local legend has it that the mould from which the castings were made was sculpted by an artist who was frightened of snakes, who designed the seats so he could sit on the creatures to allay his fears.

The seats are positioned on high ground, giving spectacular views to the south and west over the valley of the Swale.

They are popular with local people and as a picnic site for walkers on the coast-to-coast route, who stop there before heading into Richmond.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said they were continuing investigations into the incident