Villagers in Stanton St Quintin can finally restore their hall after a police blitz on vandalism.

Hooligans caused £1,000 worth of damage over the summer when they smashed all the windows and back door.

Nick Greene, a churchwarden and parish councillor, said it was “deeply depressing” for volunteers to have their hall defaced and put out of action after all their fundraising efforts to modernise it.

The village hall committee believed it was futile to replace the windows until the vandals were caught.

Now, after being boarded up for nearly three months, it can finally be fixed after police traced the young people they believe to be responsible.

Officers spoke to a group of eight teenagers aged 17 to 19. One was interviewed under caution and one given a cannabis street warning.

PC Les Fletcher, community beat manager for Chippenham Rural, said: “With the help of the local community we have identified some of the culprits and, although no one has been arrested, the outcome is that the damage has now stopped and the village hall can be restored.”

Mr Greene said: “The police have been in the village a lot more, we are very pleased.”

He discovered on July 19 that all the front windows had been broken. Within days the side windows were also targeted. When in August the vandals tried unsuccessfully to break in through the back door and plastered the walls with graffiti, the committee said enough was enough.

“We put up a sign saying, this is not a derelict building; there are a lot of hard-working people trying to restore it, and the police left a sign informing people they were keeping an eye on the area,” said Mr Greene.

Jewsons donated 15 litres of paint and volunteers painted over the graffiti.

It is hoped the church, which plans to hand over the lease to the village hall committee, will be able to claim back the £1,000 on its insurance.