Bizarre sledgehammer attack causes £10,000 damage to bridge

A vandal armed with a sledgehammer has caused up to £10,000 of damage to a historic bridge in a bizarre attack.

The bridge in Dedridge, West Lothian, Scotland, was repeatedly struck for two hours in the incident in the early hours of Monday morning.

Known locally as New Farm Bridge, the structure forms part of a busy pedestrian route from Dedridge to the centre of Livingston.

A stone wall forming the edge of the bridge, which is more than 100 years old, was demolished in the attack, with debris falling into the burn below.

CCTV footage from the nearby Lanthorn Community Centre shows the culprit was working alone, but the pictures are not clear enough to identify the vandal.

Roley Walton, vice-chairwoman of the Dedridge Environment and Ecology Project, said: "This wasn't just vandalism, it was a project." Police are hunting for the vandal, who struck between 1am and 3am on Monday morning.