Vandals smashed up lanterns and other items in the gardens of Wisbech Castle and left them broken and strewn around the area.

A £500 reward is being offered to find those who caused the damage.

Councillor Steve Tierney, chairman of the castle management committee, says he will personally pay the cash “to anybody who supplies information to the police catching them”.

He added: “Any information will be treated in confidence – just give us the names and info please.”

Town council leader Samantha Hoy said throughout Sunday after the vandalism had been reported, volunteers found many of the items they thought originally had been stolen.

“They have basically and mindlessly trashed it,” she said. “They’ve smashed loads of stone items, cut the wires off the lights so they can not be used and smashed lanterns,” she said.

“They have also thrown all the seats in the bushes and the decorations provided by one lady have been smashed.”

She said: “When we first looked there was a lot missing for example some laser lights. We then found them with the stakes taken and the wires cut but the light unit in the fountain.”

Cllr Hoy added: “They just basically came to destroy it.”

She said the police “aren’t interested” and she was working with others to get the broken items repaired.

Earlier Cllr Hoy had appealed for “anyone who has seen any teenagers carrying toadstool seats and some lights”.

She added: “To the scum who broke into the castle and trashed loads of stuff in the garden and stole things, I hope you’re happy!”

Many of the items destroyed were for children’s ‘magical garden’ and ‘fairy garden’.

One poster on |Facebook wrote; “I believe the reward reflects the sheer devastating fact that a children’s magical garden was mindlessly destroyed and hours upon hours of work by volunteers wasted rather than the monetary loss but I could be wrong.”

Another wrote:” I’m just lost for words. Just mindless, mindless vandalism. Hours and hours of work destroyed in a few minutes.”

Councillor Virginia Bucknor said “The gate to the Wisbech Bandstand broken too. Someone said to me they understood why someone would steal (not agreeing with it of course), but why just mindless vandalism? Clues in the sentence.”