VANDALS have smashed a telephone box and a bus stop in the Old Town area of Swindon.

Pieces of glass littered the pavement and street in Victoria Road and Prospect Place yesterday morning.

Swindon Council deputy leader and local councillor Fionuala Foley has called for the installation of CCTV cameras in a bid to deter the culprits.

Coun Foley (Con, Old Town and Lawn) said: "I find it frankly heartbreaking that there is such a large amount of graffiti and vandalism in the area.

"It is not only all the mess but the fact that it is such public places - it really is mindless behaviour."

In the week that the Government asked judges to consider alternatives to prison, Coun Foley called for tough action.

She said: "I know the Home Secretary doesn't want people to be sent to prison but I really think there should be a hard line taken on this.

"I think they should be sent to prison, especially when you consider that there will be glass lying around for people in wheelchairs and children.

"I'm not sure if the situation is getting worse but our monitoring of it must get better. I find it very frustrating and we need more police and I wish we could have more CCTV cameras."

As a result of the crime around Old Town, the Liberal Democrats' three Eastcott councillors are holding a public crime forum on February 27.

Councillors Dave Wood, Stan Pajak and Martin Wiltshire will discuss problems with graffiti, litter and vandalism at the Savernake Street Social Hall.

Coun Wiltshire (Lib Dem, Eastcott) said: "We decided to hold the meeting after a spate of crime in November.

"Where the phone box was smashed is a part of Eastcott ward and this is exactly the thing that caused the meeting in the first place. Residents are getting fed up with gangs making large amounts of noise, breaking wing mirrors off cars and spraying graffiti."