A GANG of youths has completely destroyed a fence that ran along an alleyway through a sheltered accommodation complex for the elderly - a week after it was erected.

Only the concrete pillars were left standing of the 75ft-long fence on the walkway which runs opposite the Grosvenor Arms pub on Henwick Road down towards St Clement's Close.

Residents on the St Clement's Sheltered Accommodation for the Elderly were disgusted with the destruction, which happened over the weekend.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said the culprits were a gang of teenagers aged 14 to 16.

"There were about six to eight of them - boys and girls - and they were sitting on the bench next to the fence on Friday evening," she said.

"We could hear them breaking the fence. They did it again on Saturday and Sunday night."

She added that residents were too frightened to confront the youths because of the verbal abuse they would suffer.

"They start banging on the windows if you say anything," she said.

"And by the time you call the police, they are gone."

The fence had only been up a week, and now the council is considering whether it can afford to pay for a new one.

Kate Marshall, the manager of the Dines Green Neighbourhood Office, which manages the complex, said they had already paid for five repair jobs on the old fence since the beginning of the year, before funding the new one.

"It has cost over £2,000 on repairs, and this time the damage is far worse than ever before," she said. "It will be a huge cost, so we have not decided what to do at this time."