A WYTHALL park manager has hit out at vandals "hell-bent on destruction" after the park suffered a series of attacks, causing £1,000 damage in a single week.

Alan Griffin said during last Tuesday night, vandals ripped off the fire exit of the Wythall Radio Club and on Wednesday night, the Wythall & District German Shepherd Dog Training Club was broken into and an entire wall damaged.

On the same night, vandals scorched a hedgerow near Dell's Farm and during the course of the week ripped down signs and notices in the park.

On Friday, vandals even smashed down a wall which had been rebuilt just hours before following a previous attack.

Mr Griffin said: "They've wreaked havoc here, it's just madness. Wythall has suffered from spates of violence for years but this scale of vandalism is beyond the realms of reason."

Wythall Park, a 37-acre space at the heart of the community, is home to 47 clubs, with football, archery, basketball and dog-training just some of the activities on offer.

Mr Griffin said: "What I fail to understand is why vandals are wrecking facilities which they, too, could be enjoying.

"We don't want to have to close the park or put a stop to activities but vandals are really posing a constant threat to this community."

Sgt Pete Cherry, of Wythall police, said investigations were underway to find the offenders but added the re-introduction of the Section 30 Order - granting police the powers to disperse gangs of youths and escort loitering youngsters home - would hopefully see a fall in vandalism and other anti-social behaviour.

"We saw a dramatic decrease in incidents of antisocial behaviour during the period covered by the last Section 30 Order," he said.

He added plans were in place for extra police patrols around the village.

But Councillor Geoff Denaro, chairman of the park's management committee, said he feared attacks would only increase, despite the re-introduction of the Section 30 Order under the new Antisocial Behaviour Act.

He said: "This isn't the first incident and it won't be the last. They've made a beautiful place look like the Third World War is erupting."

Any witnesses to the attacks or anyone with information can call 08457 444 888.