COMMUNITY leaders have hit out at yobs who went on a vandalism spree in a Selby village, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

The hooligans struck across Camblesforth, breaking an expensive stained glass window at the village’s Methodist church, smashing up the primary school’s potting shed, putting windows through in unoccupied newly-built houses, breaking a car windscreen and climbing up on to residents’ garages.

Fiona Fenton, who is a church steward and a volunteer at the village primary school, said she discovered the damage at the church when she went for the Sunday morning service.

“I can’t believe it really,” she said. “We’ve never had any damage at the church before. I was shocked.

“There was a brick left at the bottom of the window. It had been hit two or three times with this brick. It’s going to be very expensive to repair. It’s very upsetting.”

The 8ft by 5ft window was installed about a decade ago. Mrs Fenton said it would be difficult to mend because it was a double glazed unit, with laminated shatterproof glass in the outside portion – which the vandals had attacked – and the stained glass in the inside portion.

At Camblesforth Primary School, a nature area set up by pupils was wrecked, with windows smashed in the potting shed and pots of bulbs overturned.

A netball stand had been hurled into the school pond.

Elsewhere in the village, house and car windows were smashed.

Mrs Fenton said: “They seem to have gone on a rampage. They haven’t stolen anything. It’s just wilful damage, mindless. I don’t know why they do it.”

She said the village was not too badly affected by antisocial behaviour usually, but added: “I understand there is a small group of young teenagers that roam about.”

A police spokeswoman confirmed the incidents, which happened over the weekend of February 21 and 22, had been reported to the force.

“This type of vandalism and antisocial behaviour is completely unacceptable,” she said.

“The police will target those who try to bring such misery to communities, and ensure the offenders are brought to justice.”