HEADSTONES damaged by vandals in a North Yorkshire market town may not be restored, civic leaders have warned.

Three old headstones in Beverley Road cemetery, Norton, were pushed to the ground and smashed by vandals on Saturday night.

One of them, an ornate stone cross, could cost more than £1,000 to restore - but could only be repaired if relatives stepped in.

Norton's mayor, Keith Mennell, said it was very disappointing to see the damage caused.

"It does not look as though anyone still tends the gravestone, because it is in the older part of the cemetery," he said.

"We have a duty to ensure they are kept in a safe condition. If they are at all wobbly we have to take them down or put something substantial in place to make sure they are secure.

"It is rather sad to think people are hanging around there on an evening."

Councillor David Lloyd-Williams said: "We were all a bit upset that after telling the police youths were going in there on Friday night, we then had this damage done on Saturday. They have ruined one of the better bits of ornamentation in the cemetery."

Community safety sergeant Cliff Edens said police were aware of the ongoing problems in Norton.

"Youth workers have been working with the kids who have allegedly been causing all this damage," he said.

"For them to find out after all this work that some youngsters are causing damage is very disappointing."

Sgt Edens appealed for help from the local community to stamp out the problem.

"What we want is evidence of the offenders, because this is blatant, utter mindless vandalism," he said.

"We are trying to encourage people to report damage so we have got hard evidence to get these individuals into the criminal justice system."

Anyone with information about the incident should phone the Ryedale Witness Line on 01723 509662.

Updated: 10:28 Wednesday, July 23, 2003