SANTA vandals struck in Marlborough at the weekend setting alight a fabric Father Christmas put up at the St Margaret's Mead general stores.

One of the Marlborough Town Council mace bearers, Eric Gay, and his wife Lin had put up the £50 figure beneath the windows of their flat over the Londis store.

They awoke on Sunday morning to discover that late night vandals had set fire to the 3ft fabric and plastic figure.

It had been suspended about ten to 12 feet above the ground and Mr Gay believes the vandals must have piled up empty bread and milk crates outside the shop and stood on them to set the figure alight.

When the cord on which the figure was suspended burned through, the blazing fabric fell onto the pile of crates melting a number of them and they were only inches from Mr and Mrs Gay's Ford Orion car and adjacent to the petrol filler cap.

Mr Gay said: "We had a full tank so if that had gone up there would have been a tremendous explosion."

The figure had cost the couple about £50 and they said the vandals had ruined their Christmas by their actions.

Mr Gay said: "No matter what happens now Christmas will not be the same for us. All I want to say to whoever did it is that I hope they have a happy Christmas because they have partly ruined ours."

The same night vandals ripped a small plastic Father Christmas from another display in a nearby garden.

PC Stewart Williamson, who is investigating the arson, said the outcome could have been far worse if the flames had spread to the building or to Mr and Mrs Gay's car.

He urged any witnesses to contact him at Marlborough police station on (01672) 512311.