HOODED vandals are terrorising villagers with ball-bearing guns. The youths, dressed in black, have taken to the streets of Codford, near Warminster, firing ball-bearings and throwing stones and fruit at the church, the village hall and homes in High Street.

Residents, including pensioners, have been forced to foot expensive repair bills for the damage.

Parish council chairman, Romy Wyeth said: "These guns can really scare people as they are very dangerous weapons.

"Although they have only been hitting houses and breaking windows, they could quite easily blind someone, especially if the trigger is pulled at the wrong moment."

Over the weekend, stolen fruit was hurled at two houses. Five children were caught by one resident who has reported them to the police. Cllr Wyeth is also angry with the mindless people who are urinating on the village bus shelter.

She said: "It is not very nice for the man who cleans it on a regular basis. There are toilets available within a two-minute walk."

This is not the first time the village has had a problem with vandalism. Earlier this year, residents demanded action after a notice board was set alight and the local school and scout hut were targeted.

The village hall committee considered putting up CCTV cameras after youths caused thousands of pounds of damage to the building and children's playground.

St Peter's Church was left with a £1,000 bill after 150-year-old stained glass windows were broken.

Cllr Wyeth said: "Boredom is no excuse. There are 130 kids in the village and 120 of them are behaving and they're managing.

"Wanton vandalism has to be paid for and a lot of the money is coming out of the villagers' pockets."

One resident, who did not want to be named, said he had been the victim of an attack, but expects the problem to improve now the school holidays are over.

He said: "I have some small holes in my window after something hit them. Ball-bearing guns could be dangerous in the wrong hands and elderly people do find it frightening, but the youngsters are bored out of their minds.

"A group of us are now looking at ways of providing activities to give them something to do."

Codford officer Pc Bob Lindsay can be contacted on (01985) 847000.