PENSIONERS were left shaken after vandals hurled bricks at the hall where they were playing bingo.

The Scout hut in Annfield Plain, near Stanley, County Durham, came under fire as youths threw missiles at the windows. One brick landed on target, but the reinforced glass cracked rather than shattered, protecting the elderly bingo players inside.

Tom Spencer, leader of the Second Annfield Plain Scouts and organiser of the bingo night, said: "The people inside were frightened and upset by what happened. Thankfully, the glass in the window was reinforced, so no one was physically hurt."

The attack happened at about 8pm on Tuesday last week while there were about ten elderly people inside the building. It is the most serious incident in a string of attacks on the hut.

"There have been numerous instances of petty vandalism," said Mr Spencer. "We lock the doors whenever the hut is in use, to keep out any unwelcome visitors."

The Scouts have applied to the National Lottery for a grant to put up a security fence around their hut and should find out next week if they have been successful.

Two schools are also counting the cost of the Easter break. Greenland School, in South Moor, and Stanley School both had several windows smashed over the holidays.

Anyone with information about any of the attacks is asked to contact Stanley police on (01207) 232144.