A MAN has spoken of his anger after his family's £2,500 Halloween display was ruined by a vandal.
Colin Dunne has decorated his home on Hunters Park Avenue in Clayton every spooky season for the last 13 years - but he will now think twice before next year comes.
Mr Dunne says an elderly gentleman entered his garden to damage his display - which often attracts people visiting from across West Yorkshire - on Saturday morning.
The man was said to have kicked over the polystyrene gravestones, smashed pumpkins, and destroyed a seven-foot grim reaper that was attached to the front door.
West Yorkshire Police were called to the address just before 6.15am to reports of a man causing damage in the garden.
"It has put us off doing it again," Mr Dunne told the Telegraph & Argus.
"We had grandkids stopping over so obviously when someone intrudes into your garden at that time, it is quite shocking.
"We have collected them (the items on display) over the years. So, you are talking just short of £2,500 of stuff he has gone in there and damaged it all."
Describing what happened, Mr Dunne said: "I heard commotion in the front garden.
"As I looked out of the window, I saw an elderly gentleman knocking over my Halloween stuff.
"He was kicking the graveyards over and snapping the witches in half."
He added: "I have a seven foot grim reaper at the door. That was all smashed up. He ripped that out of the ground.
"He smashed the pumpkins on the floor and kicked all the polystyrene gravestones."
Mr Dunne usually has the display up for a week and a half over the period.
Luckily, he managed to patch things up to host a Halloween party last night.
Nevertheless, he is sadly not prepared to go again next year.
He added: "We do it every year and have never had any trouble. This is the first time someone has vandalised it.
"We have had people come round to take videos from Halifax, Dewsbury, Wakefield. We do it more for the kids in the area.
"On Halloween, it is only us on the street that do anything like this."
A spokesperson for the force said: "Police were called to Hunters Park Avenue at about 6.12am to a report of a man causing damage to ornaments in a garden.
"Police attended the scene but no suspect was present.
"A wider search was also conducted to see if a man fitting the description was still in the area."
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