VANDALS caused more than £20,000 damage during a wrecking spree in Brighton town centre.

Sculptures displayed in Victoria Gardens and Old Steine as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival were destroyed with axes.

Police suspect someone has a grudge against the festival.

The works of art formed a "sculpture trail" but seven of the ten were destroyed.

One sculpture was so heavy it had to be installed by crane but the vandals still managed to destroy it.

Fringe director Samantha Hutton-Bell fought back tears as she described the damage.

She said: "We are all absolutely gutted. It is a horrible feeling. It would have taken a lot of time and effort to cause this much damage. I just cannot think of anyone who would want to do this.

"How can anyone have a grudge against a festival that is just giving and giving?

"We are all in shock. It is like being punched and winded."

The damage included a wooden sculpture smashed to pieces with an axe, a mosaic bird table pushed off its base and a sculpture made of roof tiles completely dismantled.

Sam recalled an attack last year when vandals flooded the old Argus offices in North Road, which had been converted into an art gallery for the fringe festival.

She added: "Brighton is the one place you would think was perfect because of its creative spirit and love for the arts. I just cannot understand why people would do this.

"We are not going to let them put us off. This was the first year we had organised a trail like this and we will do another in the future."

Sculptures damaged include Fzonds and Kelp, by Carol Andrews, Squid and Anemone, by Michael Grover, the iron One World Series, by Hamish Black, and a work by Sam Vedo.

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