YOUNG vandals and arsonists have been causing mayhem near a Darlington nursing home.

Five windows have been broken and a number of fires have been started by the youths, near to the Elderwood Nursing Home, between Appleton Close and Cross Street.

The problem centres on a piece of land between the home and Morrisons' North Road store, which is a poorly-lit meeting place for the youths.

The windows which have been broken are all on the side of the home facing the land and, during the summer, staff had to call the fire brigade a number of times when shrubbery there was set alight.

In one recent incident, an elderly resident of the Anchor Housing-owned 40-resident home had just left the sun lounge when a brick was thrown through the window.

Darlington police, the home, and Darlington Borough Council are working together to look into new lighting for the area.

Home manager Susan Scott said: "It just seems to be escalating at the moment.

"It's not just us, we spoke to the people that live in the flats opposite and they are getting quite unnerved, I think."

The residents, she said, were more angry than scared at the youths' behaviour.

PC Keith Callender, of Darlington police, said: "There has been an ongoing problem up there for some time in terms of problems with youngsters.

"In the last two to three months we've had a number of incidents of damage.

"In one particular incident that I attended, there had been an old gentleman sat there smoking and he hadn't long left the room when a brick was thrown through the window.

"Had he been sat there at the time, God knows what might have happened."

A spokesman for Darlington council said officers were working with police to look into the problem and the potential to improve lighting