WANTON vandalism seems to be on the increase in Pershore according to the town mayor who is urging residents to help him stamp it out.

A picnic bench next to the river Avon was completely destroyed by fire and a lifebelt thrown in the river. A hanging basket was stolen from the town hall and other plants have been ripped up in Broad Street over the past few weeks.

Mayor Chris Parsons said: "I have never understood the mindset of these types of people, it just seems to be wanton vandalism with no real reason at all. I want to make an appeal to the public for them to report anything suspicious to either the town hall or the police. Most of the time they are not even gaining anything material, it is just destruction of property, so it is hard to understand what goes through their minds when incidents like this occur."

The picnic bench by the River Avon has been completely burned down, leaving nothing but scorched grass and the concrete base. Lifebelts going missing are also becoming common occurrences.

Chris added: "The benches by the Avon are a very nice feature of our town and to lose one like this is awful. We have contacted the police for assistance in catching the offenders and I am hopeful we will find the culprits." He said CCTV was positioned on the path next to the Town Hall and at various other locations around Pershore."

He added that the bench would cost £500 to replace and the lifebelt has not yet been recovered. These are not the first incidents of this type as many benches around Pershore have singe marks, after burning attempts.

Hanging baskets had been placed at Pershore Town Hall on Thursday June 9 but when a councillor walked past the hall on Friday morning, one of the baskets had been pulled down. The councillor then phoned the Mayor to inform him of this but by the time he had got there the basket had been stolen.

This may tie in with plants being ripped up on Broad Street over the past few weeks, which may be a worry for the committee organising Pershore's Britain in Bloom entry.

Police spokesman Richard Bull said: "We will be doing everything we can to assist in catching the offenders. Witnesses are urged to contact the town hall on 01386 561561 or the police on 08457 444888.