Elderly residents have voiced fears over the threat of vandalism following an attack last week in which an elderly man was injured.

Vandals targeted residents of Baldwin Drive in Okehampton last Friday night (May 27) causing damage to properties and punching a man in the face.

According to residents, this was just the latest in a spate of vandalism attacks along the street that have been going on for months

Baldwin Drive resident Bob Hines said: ‘This has been going on for at least two months. My neighbour was punched in the face and his glasses have vanished.

‘Many residents suffered damage in this latest attack. We are a road of elderly, vulnerable residents who are feeling very nervous just now.’

The attack comes following another recent vandalism incident in Simmons Park which saw picnic benches overturned and the book swap destroyed.

Okehampton Town Council has strongly condemned the act in which two newly-acquired picnic benches were ripped from their fixings and overturned.

The book swap in the phone box was also destroyed when the books and shelves were removed and thrown into the river or burnt.

The council, which reported being disappointed and upset at the damage are now looking to repair it or buy replacement items.

Okehampton Town Councillor Tony Leech said: ‘I find it mindless. Sometimes they say “blame the parents,” but you can’t totally blame the parents. It’s absolutely individual whether you become part of the community or to alienate yourself from the community.

‘It’s very sad. The damage caused by the vandalism will need to be repaired and that will be from the taxpayers’ money.

‘The police are reluctant to give children a criminal record but there must come a time when somebody says enough is enough.’

Following this latest incident in Simmons Park, the council urged residents to contact itself or the police with any information about the incident.

Okehampton Town Council has recently installed CCTV cameras in Simmons Park and funded body-worn CCTV cameras following the increase in anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse towards the park’s employees.

Cllr Leech added: ‘We can only hope that the CCTV, which has very good night vision, has picked something up. Some people think that it only works in the daytime but these cameras have very good night time vision.’

Simmons Park has been victim to a spate of vandalism in the past few years, particularly since the relaxation of covid restrictions.

In one of the more recent incidents the park’s zip wire was damaged and had to be closed-off for safety reasons. It has only just been repaired and will have its official opening during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on Saturday (June 4).

There have also been reports of bottles being smashed and park staff and visitors assaulted in the past, including an incident in which a bottle was thrown at an elderly lady walking her dog.

The police were unavailable for comment.