Vandalism is "worse than ever" in Maldon, it has been claimed.

Youths have been rampaging through the West Maldon community centre in Sunbury Way, and now police are stepping up both uniformed patrols and plain-clothes officers on the beat.

Bookings officer at the centre, John Mansell, said the problems were getting out of hand.

Shattered windows and kicked-in door panels have been left in the vandals' wake, while soap was spread over the toilet floors and support rails in the disabled toilets were ripped off the walls.

Crime reduction officer Ray Stannard said disruptive youths often come "roaring" into the halls of the community centre shouting and screaming. He suspects the vandals are also using a catapult at Wycke Hill industrial estate to damage other buildings.

The attacks have been ongoing for months but are becoming increasingly expensive to repair, with a bill close to £1,000 now being faced by the centre.

The millennium community garden, on Market Hill, is the latest target.

Newly-installed equipment was damaged only two weeks after graffiti was scrawled on the garden walls.

Wooden posts around tended blooms were kicked out after community service workers had installed the flowerbed containers only a week before, with more than £150 of materials paid for by the town council.

Community centre officer Mr Mansell doubts extra measures, including the installation of video cameras, will stop the problem.

"It has been an ongoing problem of nuisance and damage for the last six to nine months, but lately it has been worse than ever," he said.

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