A GANG of vandals left a trail of destruction as they raced around a golf course in hotwired buggies - in scenes reminiscent of the anarchic film Jackass.

Shocked club officials on Tuesday morning discovered four of their new golf buggies worth thousands of pounds had been wrecked.

The vandals, who struck overnight at the Consett and District Golf Course, in Consett, had smashed through fences, demolished flags, knocked over saplings and left skid marks on the greens.

Head green keeper David Jobey said: "I went to see the Jackass movie version of the anarchic television series, which featured people racing buggies and smashing each other on a golf course. I thought to myself it would only be a matter of time before someone tried it. Now it has happened and unfortunately it was us."

The vandals entered the grounds of the course and found four golf buggies, which had been left locked and secure.

The buggies cannot be started up without a key so the vandals smashed the dashboards of the vehicles and hotwired them. Some of the buggies, costing about £5,000 each, will have to be replaced as well.

Mr Jobey said: "They smashed through a fence and dropped two foot onto a path and another two foot onto a green before driving around the course.

"One of the buggies was marooned on top of a marker stone, another had been tipped upside down and a third had its roof and windscreen missing.

"The fourth was found at the bottom end of the course, where the vandals probably left through the Elm Park estate."

PC Phil Hinton, who is leading the police inquiry said: "The course has been left in ruins and the club officials are, as you would expect absolutely devastated. It will take a great deal of time and money to repair the damage."

Anyone with information should call PC Hinton on (01207) 504204.