Chelmsford Borough Council's refuse collection fleet was hit by an extensive attack from vandals in Wednesday night.

A total of 14 collection vehicles were subjected to serious vandalism at the Baddow Road depot and the damage, including broken windows and graffiti which could cost thousands of pounds to repair, has put them out of action.

By midday half the fleet was back on the road.

A spokeswoman for the council said,"We are working as hard as we can to sort out the situation but collections for next week may fall behind.

"We are also working closely with the police and will be looking in to ways of improving security."

The attack has come at a time when the council was seeking to improve refuse collection, having resumed responsibility for operating the service, which was previously privately run.

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