Vandals have smashed parts of a new Highland Coo art trail in Crieff less than a week after the sculptures were put in place.
Two of the brightly coloured Cowches had their horns bent and broken off by mindless yobs on Saturday night amid reports of a large congregation of youths in the Perthshire town.
The mosaic sculpture outside the Town Hall appears to have been battered with a large rock torn from a wall while the black and white cow situated outside The Crieff Food Company was missing a horn yesterday.
The black and white cow had been ripped from its plinth and some witnesses reported seeing youths “jumping all over it”.
One local Kim Coutts said: “I’m amazed it still had its head intact. Why do they feel the need?”
The local community reacted with anger and sadness at the targeting of the new art trail which has proved a hit with tourists and residents alike since it was officially unveiled last Monday.
David McCann, manager of Crieff Succeeds who came up with the idea of the Cowches – so named because they double as benches – called the destruction “wanton violence”.
David said: “It’s extremely disappointing. Whoever done this, they’re doing it to their own people – it’s just crazy.
“I hope whoever is responsible feels particularly bad about it now and someone lets us know who it was.
“It’s just wanton violence.
“Yesterday (Saturday) there were so many people in town just enjoying them and now today we see that people have vandalised them.
“It’s so disappointing.”
Other residents vented their anger at the vandalism.
Tracy McInally said: “This is absolutely disgusting. How many towns or cities have the Oor Wullies or Penguins and never any damage, but only a few weeks into Crieff having them and this happens?”
Victoria Scott said: “Such a shame. A lot of hard work goes into to making them.
“Plus it’s a great tourist attraction for Crieff. Really disappointing and embarrassing.”
Mr McCann said the damaged sculptures would be fixed and that he and the community would not let the vandals win.
He said: “We’ll get them repaired. We won’t give in like that and we hope that people will keep an eye out and tell us if they see anything happen to the Cowches.”
The Cowches will be auctioned off to raise funds for the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance when the trail finishes in September.
