POLICE are on the hunt for axe-wielding vandals who caused tens of thousands of pounds damage to machinery at East Pit opencast in Gwaun Cae Gurwen on Saturday.

Officers believe the suspects entered the site and damaged plant machines between 3pm and 7pm using what would appear to be an axe.

The damage is believed to have brought work to a grinding halt on Monday morning as bosses assessed the damage and an exact value has not yet been determined.

Pit director Huw Richards said: “We haven’t really got an idea on exactly how much the damage will cost.

“We haven’t had any trouble like this before and the police are investigating,” he added.

One worker, who asked not to be named, said the culprits appeared to know exactly what to target to cause the most damage.

“They have deliberately targeted the most expensive machinery,” he said, “so it looks as if they knew exactly what they were doing.

“They also smashed lights up and slashed the tyres on the trucks,” he added.

“At the moment we don’t know if it’s local vandals, eco warriors or someone else with a grudge but I know police are investigating.”

Pontardawe Sector Inspector Jeff Handley said: “We are taking this incident extremely seriously as this is a delierate act of vandalism which has caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage to machinery.

“This act is completely unacceptable and I hope the community will come forward with information which they can do in complete confidence by contacting Crimestopper anonymously.”

Anyone with information should contact South Wales Police on 01792 456999 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.