A SET of railings put on a path to improve safety after an elderly man was hit by a bike were vandalised within hours of being installed.

The £500 staggered railings in Wilmot Close, Witney, were put in place last week - only for them to be damaged and ripped from the ground.

They were installed after an elderly man was left injured and shaken after being hit by a bike on the path.

He contacted county councillor for Witney Laura Price, who subsequently pushed for something to be done.

A few days after the incident, police officers visited the site and confirmed that bikes were regularly travelling at high speeds through the alley.

Ms Price said the vandalism was frustrating as funding can be hard to come by.

She said: "They were installed last week and then vandals ripped them out before the cement had dried.

"It's so annoying as it's really difficult to get the county council to fund small works like this, so to have that budget doubled to replace the damage is a real problem."

The railings will be repaired shortly.

Ms Price and councillors has urged anybody with information about the vandalism to contact police by calling them on 101.