Fury as vandals daub graffiti on the walls of historic Clitheroe Castle

The graffiti – the latest in a string of vandalism in Ribble Valley – has left council leaders furious and at a loss.

A specialist team of restorers will have to be drafted in to clean the ancient monument at a cost of thousands of pounds to council taxpayers.

And now the hunt is on to find the culprit, who is facing the full force of the law and a hefty bill.

In a joint statement, Ricky Newmark, chairman of Ribble Valley Borough Council’s community committee, and ward representative Mary Robinson, said: “Clitheroe Castle is the jewel in the borough’s crown and it is beyond belief that anyone would deface it in this way.

“A team of specialist cleaners will have to be drafted in to assess the ancient stonework and remove the graffiti.

“We are determined to recover any repair costs from the moron responsible for this and are asking anyone with information to step forward.”

This is the latest in a string of vandalism in Ribble Valley – the barrier to a disabled car park at a popular Clitheroe beauty spot was wrecked for the second time in six months last week.

The barrier, which allows disabled access to the riverbank at Edisford, was wrenched off its hinges in June and again last week, causing £3,000 worth of damage each time.

Anyone with information about the Clitheroe Castle graffiti is asked to call the police in confidence on 101.