Vandalism at a Workington's Vulcan Park will hinder the town's Remembrance Sunday ceremony.

The cabinet of the park's public address system, owned by the town council, was damaged last Friday and cannot be repaired in time for the service.

Chris Bagshaw, town clerk, said: "The vicar leading the ceremony will just have to shout. It's disappointing, I thought we were better than this, that we had moved on from this petty vandalism. They've wrenched the door and set fire to it.

"I've reported vandalism to the box about three times now. This summer I came out from a meeting and saw a group of lads in the park. One of them was standing on the box, I rang the police and they ran away.

"I think what they were keen to do was switch the lights on and off as there's a timer. It's been disconnected now."

Damage to the cabinet amount to around £750.

Mr Bagshaw said that notice boards in the park are also often target of vandalism.

He added: "The knock-on effect is that we've been trying to put a play area in Moorclose for some time, but it's about finding a place that can be seen from the street. Parks that can be seen from a main street seem to get less vandalism."