VANDALS have struck at a Puttenham beauty spot that previously gained notoriety as a dogging area.

Last year, Surrey County Council passed responsibility for managing the land on the Hog’s Back to Puttenham Parish Council, which wanted to provide a safer place for the community to visit and encourage wildlife back to the site.

In the past, the A31 lay-by has been plagued with inappropriate behaviour from groups of people meeting for sex.

Villagers said they felt intimidated, as it was visible from homes and they were scared to let their children play in nearby fields.

Ramblers have also stumbled on the public sex site and discovered pornographic magazines, litter and underwear scattered among the bushes.

Councillor Richard Griggs, of Puttenham Parish Council, said since they started the Hog’s Back Wildlife Conservation Project, the site was less commonly used for sexual activity but there were still a couple of pockets of activity in the shrubbery.