ORGANISERS of a yarn bombing festival were left shocked and upset after some of the displays were reportedly stolen.

Visitors to Westhoughton town centre at the weekend enjoyed the colours that draped Market Street and Ditchfield Gardens during the event.

But knitter Carol Hobson was devastated on Sunday morning after finding out the displays she had created at Ditchfield Gardens with her 83-year-old mother Brenda Alker went missing on Saturday night and have been assumed stolen.

Mrs Hobson said: "I was quite upset but the same thing happened last year.

"I was proud of it, the event was not quite as good as last year because we did not have as many people.

"But I thought we did a good job with the number of people we did have."

The items that have gone missing include some of the yarn that adorned the benches in the gardens.

She had not reported the incident to the police.

Jean Spencer, also an organiser, said there had been similar occurrences during the last two yarn bombing festivals

She said: "It is really sad because the people who made it, Carol and her elderly mum, spent a lot of time on the displays.

"Carol was there at 5.30am on Saturday morning putting it out with her son. She was really despondent on Sunday when she found out that they found out some of it had been taken."

"There have been similar incidents over the last two years but the majority of the display is still there and it was being enjoyed."

Westhoughton town councillor David Wilkinson described the alleged perpetrators as 'mindless scumbags'.

He said: "They do not contribute anything to the town so they have to try and destroy the effort of others who want to do something.

"Even if it is for a couple of days, the people have worked hard and made things. But some prat has not got the ability to contribute to the town and the society of Westhoughton.

"I just hope people are not put off by this and we can find some evidence to catch these people. Hopefully we can root them out."

Out—stranding! See the colourful creations from the Westhoughton Yarn Bombing Festival

As well as the benches and decorated sign at Ditchfield Gardens, other displays on Saturday and Sunday included a child, bunting and decorated guardrails.

There were also a number of wool-made figures greeting commuters as they came off the train at Daisy Hill Station.

More information on the event is available on the group's Facebook page.