Resident hits out after vandals saw bench in half

A SUTTON resident has spoken of his disgust at a “disgraceful” attack on a village bench.

Colin ‘Dusty’ Constable, 75, said he “couldn’t believe his eyes” when he discovered that vandals had quite literally sawn a public bench IN HALF in a midnight attack.

The wooden frame of the bench has been broken cleanly in half, and has been rendered useless by the attack.

Mr Constable said the bench, on Sutton Road, was well used by local people but added that no-one could understand why someone would want to carry out such a bizarre act of vandalism.

Speaking to the Ely Standard, Mr Constable, said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes, I’m Sutton born and bred and I have never seen anything like it.

“I stopped with my wife to see if someone had broken it but they hadn’t, they had sawn right through it, I couldn’t believe it.

“I’m very upset about it, it’s an absolute disgrace to see it in that state.”

Mr Constable, who lives on Pound Lane, said the vandals struck sometime over the weekend and that the damaged bench first came to his attention on Monday morning as he went for a walk.

The 75-year-old is keen to see the bench restored to its former glory however, and has even offered to pay for a new one himself if the council won’t act.

“I’d like to see it replaced with a new bench and if the council can’t afford the money, I’ll pay for it. I’m not a wealthy man but I’m a Sutton man and I think the village is lovely.”

A spokesperson for Sutton Parish Council, said: “We have put a notice on the bench just to advise residents not to sit on it and I have been in touch with the district council, which owns the bench. Hopefully they will be able to come out and do some repairs.”