CONCRETE-wielding vandals have left Cotton residents steaming today after the village hall's windows were broken twice in two weeks.Six panes of glass costing hundreds of pounds to replace were smashed at the hall this week.

CONCRETE-wielding vandals have left Cotton residents steaming today after the village hall's windows were broken twice in two weeks.

Six panes of glass costing hundreds of pounds to replace were smashed at the hall this week.

It is believed to have been the work of vandals throwing lumps of concrete and beer bottles at the windows.

Villagers are twice as angry about the attack as only two weeks ago a single window at the Blacksmith Road Hall was smashed.

Aiden Kendall, chairman of the hall's committee, said: “It's very sad. We are clearly looking at hundreds of pounds of damage and we've no source of income other than our own fundraising.

“We repaired the first broken window last week and within a fortnight different ones have been smashed.

“It's a popular hall. It's used for dances, meetings, karate, the over 60s club and so on.

“Apart from church it's the only asset the village has really as over the years we've lost the school and shop.

“Lucky for us local builder Des Alexander had repaired the windows again within a matter of hours.”

The attacks are not the first time the hall has been targeted by vandals. In 2003 a burning rag was thrown into the hall, starting a fire which caused £15,000 of damage. The hall was out of action for nine months.

Jeanie Hutchinson, parish council chairman, said: “It's such a shame as the committee had just got it all nice again after the fire.

“I can't understand the people that do it.”

The six panes of glass were smashed at approximately 1.30am on Saturday. Between 9pm on Friday and 8am on Saturday a car at Jeffries Garage, Bacton, was also vandalised.

Anyone with information about the offences is asked to call Pc Barry Abbott at Suffolk police on 01473 613500.