A COUNCILLOR is outraged after vandals have wreaked damage to a community space in a county village.

Vandals have struck at Kempsey Youth Centre, damaging a protective covering on a life-saving defibrillator and smashing up a make-shift skate ramp created by a doting father for his kid.

It is understood residents living nearby have had eggs thrown at their properties, causing alarm and distress and police are conducting enquiries.

Cllr Martin Allen, who is a district councillor for Upton, as well as a parish councillor for Kempsey, said: “The damage to the defibrillator really saddens me, this is playing footloose with people’s lives.

“There is an ongoing problem with antisocial activity within - it’s now time for the authorities to act. I realise that the police are extremely hard pressed at the moment, but we do have a local policing team and I am asking that they act. If these thugs are not stopped in their tracks, they will blight many lives and also damage their own.

"There is ample evidence to show that criminals start with lesser crimes and progress to more serious ones unless they are diverted away from crime."

Rob Aliano, posting on the Spotted Kempsey Facebook group, said: “The ramps that I built with my son to have been vandalised. All but one ramp was destroyed with some being thrown onto the roof of the centre.”

West Mercia Police said instances of anti-social behaviour need to be reported for “intelligence-led policing”.

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PC Ellis from Malvern SNT said: “We encourage all members of the public to report instances of anti-social behaviour so we can built up a pattern.

“A defibrillator is a piece of life saving kit and it’s just not on damaging it.

“We will step up targeted patrols and, lately, houses have been targeted by egg and snowball throwers - we will be making door-to-door enquiries and take appropriate action.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101.