Vandals target ancient stones in 'heritage crime'

Gold paint has been removed from standing stones believed to be about 4,500 years old after an act of vandalism.

The National Trust reported the incident to police and removed the substance from the Neolithic Avebury World Heritage site in Wiltshire earlier. It is believed to have been vandalised overnight.

Containing three stone circles and originally boasting 100 huge standing stones, Avebury has been the subject of considerable archaeological interest since the 17th Century.

A spokesperson for the National Trust said: "The substance that was on the stones has been successfully removed by our team and we are confident there has been no lasting damage."

They added that the incident was being treated as a "heritage crime".

English Heritage was also made aware of the vandalism and said in a statement: "The paint, which was water soluble, has been removed by the National Trust, and the incident reported to the police."

The vast, 330m (1,082ft) wide prehistoric monument was built between about 2850 and 2200 BC.

In June 1999, two of the ancient standing stones at the site were painted red, green and white by vandals in what may have been a protest against genetically modified crops.

The attack happened on the eve of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year when both Avebury and Stonehenge are visited by hundreds of druids and onlookers from all over the world.

Remnants of this most recent act of vandalism on Avebury can still be seen following the clean-up.

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