THIS was the devastating scene as young arsonists targeted a popular York wood, causing thousands of pounds of damage.

Firefighters were called to Acomb Wood after a plastic bridge was set ablaze - just weeks after an identical attack on a matching bridge.

Local residents today hit out at those behind the fires, but said they were just the latest incidents in a two-year tale of woe.

They say since the wood was opened to the public in 2003, vandals have also:

Destroyed specially crafted wooden seating areas.

Dumped rubbish and litter all over the park.

Vandalised and set fire to trees.

Stolen hundreds of valuable forest-flower bulbs.

City of York Council acquired the wood two years ago, when local residents formed the Friends of Acomb Wood group to turn the wood into a useful amenity for the community.

They replaced diseased or dangerous trees, set up footpaths and seating areas, built a fence around the wood and placed bridges over the ditches.

Peter Reid, treasurer of the group, said: "When we first opened it, the park was lovely. It was absolutely smashing."

Mr Reid said the number of people using the wood meant they had to lay bridges over the ditches at either side of the site. But the first of those was torched in late May, and last week the vandals struck again, and Mr Reid caught the blaze on camera.

Thieves have also ripped shoots off rare daffodil and bluebell bulbs, and taken the bulbs, while Mr Reid said the litter problem was so bad that even regular litter patrols could not keep up with the problem.

But he said the group would continue its attempts to improve the area. "We will look again at the bridges," he said. "We will replace them but not with a bridge structure - we will build a solid structure into the ditch."

He said the bridges, with raw materials, cost about £3,500 to put in, but damage to decades-old trees was harder to assess.

A City of York Council spokesperson said: "We are entering discussions with the Friends of Acomb Wood about replacing the bridges, but no decisions have been reached about what the replacements will be or how much they will cost."

Joe Calpin, York fire station manager, said the arsonists risked causing a major disaster. "Quite apart from the danger to the perpetrators , it's tying up appliances at avoidable incidents," he said.

"During this present spell of dry weather, there is a real chance of grass fires getting out of hand. We could potentially end up with damage to more valuable property."

York Police today confirmed they were investigating reports of fire damage to the bridges.

Updated: 10:41 Friday, July 29, 2005