A councillor has been left outraged after vandals tore down a fence that had only been up a few days.

Witham West ward Braintree District Councillor Bill Rose was incensed when he discovered the chain-link fence bordering a children's play area on Flora Road, Witham, had been ripped down.

Braintree council parks and gardens staff had put the fence in place just a few days before the vandalism was noticed on Wednesday last week *Sept 12*.

Mr Rose said: "As a councillor and a parent I'm a little bit cross that people don't have a sense of social responsibility.

"It really is soul-destroying, that we've got this low-level anti-social behaviour.

"The fence runs along between a play area and a pathway on Flora Road, and there are small children kicking balls and running in the road."

Mr Rose said that he did not think the vandalism had been reported to the police. He said: "There's nothing that the police can do."

A spokesman for Braintree council confirmed that the fence had been put up in the last fortnight. He said: "It was put there for safety reasons because the youngsters play football there, and it was to stop them running after their balls in the road.

"Council officers will be going down there to assess the damage, and it will be repaired as soon as possible."