SCOUT leaders in Addingham have been left sickened by the worst vandal attack on their hut that they can remember.

A stone the size of a football was used to smash three toughened glass windows in the door and a fence post from the nearby park was thrown through a side window.

Scout leader Marilyn Doherty said: "Inside it looked like a war zone - there was glass everywhere."

Mrs Doherty was called out last Thursday night by another leader who had gone to the hut in the Memorial Hall car park to put his bicycle in there.

He noticed two smashed windows and some youngsters hanging around. During the time it took him to go to Mrs Doherty's home nearby and for them both to return to the area, two more windows had been put through.

Mrs Doherty said: "When I got there and saw how bad it was I had to get it boarded up straight away - it was too bad to leave.

"It was the worst I have seen in the last 20 years - now it is all boarded up it looks closed and with the impending move, there is no point paying for new glass to be installed."

She said she was amazed at the force which had been used to break the glass and added that volunteer workers had trouble removing the broken edges of the panes because the wire reinforced glass was so hard to break.

But to protect the under-nine Beavers pack, which will be using the hut next Tuesday evening, more work will have to take place to cover or remove the jagged pieces of glass on the inside of the main door.

Fortunately some of the suspected youths seen in the area were recognised and names have been given to investigating police officers.

Mrs Doherty said she could not understand why the hut, and the nearby Bowling Club hut, had been targeted repeatedly by vandals while other buildings had been left alone.

"It has been on and off for some years but we had had nothing for some time," said Mrs Doherty.

Parish councillor Alan Jerome, who is chairman of the Memorial Hall Committee, said he had not noticed any recent rise in complaints about vandalism in the village.

At recent parish council meetings, members had reported increased complaints about village youngsters skateboarding in public areas.

Negotiations have been taking place recently over a new venue for the scouts, cubs and beavers because the scout hut will have to be demolished to make way for the new village medical centre.

The hut is on land owned by the parish council and the scouts have agreed to move when a suitable alternative venue can be found.

To help raise the cash to pay for the relocation, the Addingham Scout Group will be launching a major fundraising effort this Saturday.

The first event is a Coffee Morning and car wash at the scout hut. People are invited to enjoy refreshments while the scouts wash their vehicle in exchange for a contribution. It will take place between 10am and 12.30pm.