A wave of vandalism has swept through a North Yorkshire village in the week formal bids have been submitted for sites for CCTV cameras.

Scotton has been plagued by incidents of criminal damage, nuisance and abuse for the past 12 months, despite a police operation to stop it.

Windows in the village hall have been smashed a number of times, garden plants uprooted and ornaments broken and strewn around and rocks and boulders left in the road.

Over the past fortnight, windows in the public phone box have been smashed, the village hall has been targeted again and the empty village shop entered and ransacked.

A member of the local Neighbourhood Watch, who asked not to be named, said he was considering leaving.

"It's got beyond a joke. They have a football field, a basketball court and somewhere to go with their skateboards - but they are not happy.

"When we get surveillance cameras, one should focus on the play area as that is where these people are on Friday and Saturday nights," he said.

If Richmondshire District Council's planning committee agrees, CCTV cameras will be sited near Scotton Village Hall and in Meanee Road and Bedale Road.