A man who videoed vandals ripping up lamps in the driveway of his home says he is disgusted it has taken so long for police to look at his footage.

Chris Hine, from Fairmile Lane, Cobham, installed £1,000 worth of CCTV to cover his driveway after it was repeatedly targeted by vandals.

When he caught teenagers on film kicking over his lamps in the early hours of last Monday morning (June 26) he contacted police and three days later received a letter telling him there was "insufficient evidence".

But following a call from Surrey Comet's sister paper, the Elmbridge Guardian, Mr Hine received an apology and was told the letter was an administrative error.

Officers were due to visit him early this week.

On receiving the original letter, Mr Hine, a surveyor and former chairman of Cobham and Downside Residents' Association, said: "It's just deplorable. I am incensed by this. I think I am more incensed by Surrey Police than the vandalism."

According to Mr Hine, the camera caught three teenage boys strolling down Fairmile Lane at about 1.15am.

He explained: "They walked past my gates and came back and had a look at the two lamps sitting on low pillars.

"They tried to wrench them off and one of them demonstrated how to do a karate-style kick and they then did it, they broke them both off.

"One is repairable and one is not. They didn't cost a huge amount but this is not the first time.

"They the vandals were totally determined, you can see by the video. If they are allowed to continue like this, what are these lads going to grow up to?"

While welcoming the chance to show police his film, Mr Hine says he is annoyed it has had to happen this way.

A police spokesman said: "Surrey Police is committed to working with communities to target local concerns.

"This investigation remains an ongoing police inquiry and an officer has been in touch with the victim in this case and apologised for the administrative error which resulted in him receiving the letter.

"He will now be visited early this week by police for the CCTV to be seized and viewed with the intention to identifying offenders and bringing them to justice."