A party of Welsh tourists have vowed never to return to Worthing after their coaches were smashed up by vandals.

The group of 80 pensioners from Pontypridd came to the town for a relaxing week-long break, but were dismayed to find £20,000 worth of damage done to their coaches overnight.

Eight windows and a windscreen were damaged in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Paul Corbett, a coach driver for Edwards Coaches, said: "We didn't expect this to happen in Worthing because we were told it was such a quiet place.

"We were looking forward to this as a relaxing week. The people we've brought are all pensioners and they have been upset.

"The coaches were vandalised while they were in the coach park on West Parade.

Police said they received their first call about the damage at 7.24am, followed by another at 8.20am from a resident who said he had heard a major disturbance at 3am.

A police spokesman said: "Nobody bothered to phone us at the time."

About a dozen concrete bollards lining the promenade were smashed and used as weapons to damage the coaches.

Two drivers will have to take them to be repaired in Somerset before the party returns to Wales on Friday.