SCARECROWS made by dozens of children for an inaugural village festival were destroyed by vandals.

The chairman of Sherborne St John Village Hall committee, which organised the scarecrow competition in the village, has spoken of his outrage after the creations were damaged on the last day of the event.

Dr Richard Pettifer, chairman of the committee, said: “Heads and faces were destroyed, hats, baskets and bags torn off or emptied out and in some cases the entire scarecrow was dismembered.”

He added: “Such wanton vandalism is a sad end to what had been a very happy event from which many villagers and children had gained much pleasure.

“I hope that those responsible for the destruction feel they have made a useful contribution to life in their neighbourhood. Whoever they are they are not welcome in this village.”

The week-long festival began on September 18 when around 30 scarecrows were displayed in the village, made by individuals and groups including Sherborne St John Primary School and a Brownie pack.

Dr Pettifer, 75, said: “The village hall committee decided to run the event not to make money but to bring the village together and it was very successful.

“We had about 30 around the village and they sat out for a week and everyone was admiring them. A judging panel went around on the first day, and the following Saturday we had an event in the village hall which all the kids came along to.”

Youngsters took part in a quiz which led them to each of the scarecrows around the village, before enjoying a craft activity in the hall.

Prizes were then awarded to the winners.

Dr Pettifer, who has just retired as a meteorologist, said a fellow committee member knocked on his door after he had returned home following the event, to inform him that the scarecrows had been destroyed.

The grandfather-of-five said: “Someone had smashed the head of mine. It was made of papier mache and they had smashed it to pieces. The one next door had a basket of flowers on it and it had been pulled off. One that won second prize which was a horse coming through a hedge with a rider on it they had pulled the horse off the hedge altogether.

"It was wanton vandalism. It put a bad taste at the end of the day which was otherwise successful.”

He added: “We were pretty angry.”

However, he said the the incident will not stop the committee from holding the festival again next year.