VANDALS who left a trail of destruction along Lyme Regis seafront at the weekend have been branded "mindless" by Mayor Ken Dibben.

The yobs struck in the Langmoor and Lister gardens, ripping up litterbins, smashing glass in a council staff hut and throwing a memorial seat down the steep steps.

They are also believed to have damaged guttering on the electricity sub station.

On the seafront they smashed ten panes of glass in the shelters and council store and threw litterbins off Marine Parade onto the Cart Road. The vandals, who left a trail of empty beer cans and vodka bottles in their wake, also destroyed every pane of glass in the seafront telephone kiosk.

A police spokesman said they had used stones to smash the glass. He said the extent of the damage was far beyond what they would expect to see in Lyme Regis. Drink probably a played a part, he confirmed.

Coun Dibben and recreations committee chairman Ken Whetlor inspected the damage on Saturday morning.

Afterwards he said: "It just makes me very sad as well as angry to see such senseless and mindless vandalism causing a great deal of damage.

"It does our image as a resort town no justice and to see windows boarded up especially at the beginning of a busy season.

"And it also costs every chargepayer in town a great deal of money and may also divert money earmarked for other projects."