THESE were the scenes of destruction after a joy rider went on the rampage in a digger in a leafy North Yorkshire village.

The small JCB-type vehicle destroyed a traditional red phone box, ploughed through garden walls and demolished road signs as it stormed through the normally quiet village of Linton-on-Ouse.

Sergeant Dave Hopper, of North Yorkshire Police, said officers were called by local residents to reports of a digger causing damage at about 4pm on Saturday.

Spokesman Ron Johnson confirmed the vehicle had been stolen from a nearby farm on the same day.

A 20-year-old man was arrested near the scene for aggravated vehicle taking a short time after the incident.

He has been released on police bail pending further investigation.

Shocked local resident Roy Francis took pictures of the wreckage.

He said: "I'm annoyed by things like this happening in the village.

"I got up on Sunday morning to take my dog for a walk and saw this carnage.

"I'd heard from other people that a young person had taken a Bob Cat or some sort of small machine and decided to smash up the village.

"People think Linton-on-Ouse is a sleepy hollow, but we do have some problems, like speeding and vandalism. It's a shame. People are quite upset about it. This was the only telephone box in the village and I'm sure it won't get replaced.

"I'm sure there aren't many people in the village who don't have telephones but it's the end of an era. It was a nice, traditional old thing and now it's gone."