Yobs in Ellesmere have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage after going on a wrecking spree just hours after the town carnival.
The main carnival marquee, which is 25ft by 15ft long, was torn down by youths in the early hours of Sunday morning and all the supporting metal bars bent out of shape.
A fridge was stolen from the beer tent housed inside the marquee which was later recovered from beneath a tree by The Mere.
A wooden hut inside the children’s playground also had its windows smashed, together with the panelled glass in the ladies’ public toilets.
The damage was discovered at Cremorne Gardens on Sunday morning, a day after the annual carnival had passed off with great success, and organisers say it has soured the whole weekend.
It was the carnival committee’s central marquee which they had owned for 12 years after purchasing it for £6,000. It is thought the cost to repair the damage and replace equipment could now spiral into thousands of pounds.
Pearl Allum, chairman of the carnival committee, said: “We all went down Sunday morning to start the clean-up operation and take the marquee away and it had been completely trashed. The marquee had been totally pulled over and all the metal bars bent beyond repair – we were absolutely appalled.
“It’s our main marquee, which cost £6,000. I just can’t believe they’d want to go down after we’ve worked so hard to put the carnival on and this is the thanks you get – it will cost thousands of pounds to have everything repaired.
“They even took the fridge from the beer tent and we found it under the big fir tree by The Mere and it had blood stains on because whoever had tried carrying it had obviously cut themselves.
“They had also gone into the playground and trashed the windows of the little wooden hut as well as the ladies’ toilets.
“Lots of people have said how well the carnival went, but when something like this happens you question whether it is worth it. It has really left a sour note.”
Councillor Ann Hartley, of Ellesmere Town Council, said: “I just think it is very very sad and it was such a brilliant event which was so positive for the town so to have a few mindless people spoil it for everybody else is a great shame and totally pointless in my view.”
West Mercia Police were unavailable for comment as the Chronicle went to press.
By David Seadon