CCTV camera lights were attacked at Ledbury's Recreation Ground just hours after they were installed.

The lights were put up to give better resolution pictures in the battle against vandalism.

Footage from the cameras, taken on the evening of Tuesday, October 30, show someone shinning up a 16ft pole towards one of the cameras.

The camera was then shaken or moved out of focus and a high- resolution lamp was totally destroyed.

Ledbury town beat manager Gordon Headon said: "I'm in the process of viewing the video. I'm hoping we can get somewhere with it.

"The light has been ripped off. It's mindless. I can't understand damage. It's beyond me. Whoever did this knew what the system was and what it was capable of.

"The system is there for the safety of people using the Recreation Ground, especially young children, because the council most days is collecting broken glass which has been smashed or thrown down.

"That's the major problem down there."

The CCTV cameras on the Recreation Ground were switched on first on Thursday, September 6, but councillors were concerned that the existing floodlighting was not giving a clear enough resolution picture at night.

Following site visits, they decided to install two extra lamps.

The cameras, which cost £8,000 to install, were put in place to give people peace of mind, not only because shards of glass had been scattered in the children's play area, but also because picnic benches had been burnt or ripped apart in the past.

Just five hours after the enhanced system was switched on last week, one camera and the lamp had been vandal- ised.

The full cost of the damage is yet to be revealed, but the money for repairs will come out of the Town Council's new "vandalism fund".

Ledbury's deputy mayor Martin Eager, who was a strong supporter of the move to install the cameras and lights, said: "We will pump more money into this to protect our cameras and our lights. Whatever it costs, we will spend it."

He said that barbed wire or spikes, "whatever it takes", would be considered to protect the CCTV system.