Vandal attack: Raymond Gill shows damage to the marquee

VANDALS tried to wreck a school prom night when they cut the panels of a marquee with a knife.

But organisers and the marquee owners made sure the students enjoyed the celebrations.

The vandals caused £15,000 of damage to side panels of the tent, in the grounds of the Old Mill pub, Knitsley, near Delves Lane.

The marquee, regularly used for weddings and other events, was the venue for Moorside Community Technology College's prom night.

Raymond Gill, a maintenance worker at the pub, said: "When I arrived here, I could see from a distance that something was not right. To my dismay, the whole marquee had been slashed to bits.

I felt sick to my stomach. I was gutted. Our first thought was for the pupils of Moorside who were holding their prom."

Mr Gill said Astley Marquees, which owns the tent, had searched the area to find enough replacement panels. He said: "It was a real community effort. The teachers were here, preparing for the night, and staff at The Old Mill pitched in as well. We were determined to get it sorted."

PC Kevin Hall, of Consett police, said the damage was caused between 9.30pm on Wednesday and 8am last Thursday. He said all the panels affected were to areas that could not be seen from the pub. He said: "Dozens of cuts, possibly up to 50 or more, have been made. This has been a deliberate and systematic attack."

Anyone with information about the attack has been asked to call police on 0845-60-60-365 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800-555-111.

11:08am Friday 4th July 2008

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