TRAVELLERS wreaked havoc when they smashed windows and smeared faeces all over the walls of a disused arts centre.

Residents said they suffered 'a weekend of hell' as vandals caused thousands of pounds of damage half a dozen caravans set up camp in the car park of Wycombe Arts Centre, Spring Gardens, High Wycombe, on Thursday.

"From the moment they parked a loud generator they made a terrible racket but the council said they could do nothing until Monday," said Arlene Cathcart, 23, of Spring Gardens. "They seemed quieter on Friday so I stopped worrying. But then all hell broke loose."

Mrs Cathcart, a clinical team co-ordinator, returned from work to find alarm bells ringing and children armed with screwdrivers clambering on the centre's roof and pulling off the tiles.

She said: "The police were called in to shut down the alarms but there was little else they could do on council land and considering the laws surrounding travellers."

On Saturday, the destruction continued as an abandoned car in the car park was smashed and travellers broke into the centre, setting off the alarm for a second time. Police were called again and the county council's environmental officer visited the scene.

The vandalism peaked on Sunday when youngsters ransacked the centre and the adjacent Old Library.

Jo Schofield, 33, a market administrator of Spring Gardens, looked in after the travellers had left in the mid-afternoon.

She said: "It was disgusting. Excrement had been smeared all over the walls and there was glass everywhere. Even the urinals were smashed.

Julie Claesens, whose flat overlooks the centre, said she slept in her living room because of the noise levels, and added: "Every room was trashed. Kids used that centre and there were little outfits they had made torn up and strewn all over the floor."

A Buckinghamshire County Council spokesman said:"We deal with so many travellers. We work closely with Thames Valley Police but have limited power. All we can do is move them on to another area. To serve a vacation notice, much legal restrictions are involved but they moved off pretty quickly. It causes everyone difficulty. We have made sure the site has been cleaned up."

Inspector Andy Webb of High Wycombe police said they were called to a disturbance but were powerless to evict the travellers as the landowner had not requested that they be removed.