Partying vandals have caused £700 damage by wrecking part of a Dartmouth cliffside beauty spot by setting fire to a picnic table.

The vandals also left beer cans and bottles strewn around the remote Sugary Green site which has been designated as the town's only village green.

The damage has outraged Dartmouth town councillor Andy Carter who stumbled across the wreckage while taking his dog for walk last Wednesday.

The damage is believed to have been done some time over the previous few days.

Mr Carter said: 'There were signs that some sort of vehicle was driven down the slope there and it looks like they had a barbecue that may have gone a bit wrong.'

Mr Carter, who has informed the police of the damage, added: 'They certainly had a barbecue there and whether they had it on top of one of the tables and that caught fire I do not know.

'There were beer cans and bottles strewn all over the place.'

Sugary Green is around 50 yards beyond Dartmouth Castle along the cliff path. It was declared the town's first village green last year following a campaign and a special plaque was unveiled by the general secretary of the Open Spaces Society Kate Ashbrook in December.

Mr Carter said: 'It is obviously outrageous and a real shame because Sugary Green is a beauty spot that is used in the summer by picnickers etc.

'I don't have a problem with people having barbecues there. I have done that myself. But causing this kind of damage is just not on.'

Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the vandalism or have any information about it to make contact by calling 101 and quoting reference JH/12/452.