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Vandals in attack at Stonehenge | Vandals in attack at Stonehenge |
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Suspected souvenir hunters broke into Stonehenge and vandalised the ancient monument, English Heritage has said. | Suspected souvenir hunters broke into Stonehenge and vandalised the ancient monument, English Heritage has said. |
A hammer and screwdriver were used to take a small chip the size of a 10p piece from the side of the Heel Stone. | |
English Heritage said further damage was prevented by security guards who spotted the two men at the 5,000-year-old site in Wiltshire. | English Heritage said further damage was prevented by security guards who spotted the two men at the 5,000-year-old site in Wiltshire. |
Police believe the vandals could be the same two people caught on CCTV acting suspiciously a few days earlier. | |
English Heritage said souvenir hunting was once a legitimate practice and chisels would be handed out to people visiting the stones. | English Heritage said souvenir hunting was once a legitimate practice and chisels would be handed out to people visiting the stones. |
The recent act of vandalism which happened on the evening of 15 May at about 2200 BST is thought to be the first attack on the site for many years. | |
Police said the men managed to escape by jumping over the fence and driving off in a red Rover 400 with plastic sheeting covering the driver's side window. | |
Archaeologists are currently excavating the World Heritage Site to discover more about its origins. The last time an excavation was allowed inside the stone circle was in 1964. | |
The current dig is a major research excavation to investigate the bluestones. These smaller stones made up part of the prehistoric monument alongside the sarsen stones. | |
Stonehenge has remained open as normal and visitors will be able to observe up close the excavation as it happens on plasma screens inside a special marquee. |