MINDLESS vandals have targeted a safety initiative just hours after it was put into place.

Caroline's Bakery on the High Street in Ruabon has been troubled by cars mounting the pavement outside the shop to park.

Bollards were installed on the road on Thursday to stop parking after fears were raised a pedestrian could be knocked over.

But less than 24-hours later the bollards were covered in graffiti.

Ruabon councillor Barry Price said he was “extremely disappointed” that vandals had targeted the bollards.

He said: "People were persistently mounting the pavement and parking outside the shop.

“The shop manager was concerned with customers coming in and out of the shop and the potential for an accident, so I arranged with the environment department at Wrexham Council for bollards to be erected.”

Cllr Price reported the graffiti to Wrexham Council’s StreetScene department after he spotted it on his way to church on Good Friday and was impressed with the speed of their clean up operation.

“The boulders are now a nice shiny black again so I’m pleased about that because if you allow graffiti to stay it leaves a stain on the village.

“I don’t know whether the graffiti was done in protest to say they didn't think the bollards needed to be there.”

He added that there is a car park opposite the bakery which customers can use.

Cllr Price said a number of residents had contacted him to express their dissappointment in the vandalism.

Ray Hughes, a resident in the village for 30 years, said: “Within hours someone’s covered the boulders in graffiti. Community is important, I think it should be looked after.”