THEY may be a match for crows, but these scarecrows were unable to fend off a group of vandals.

Kingston resident Jake Smokcum was saddened to see his handmade entry for the Bisterne Scarecrow Festival damaged.

One of his Beastie Boys-themed trio of scarecrows was damaged overnight by stone-throwing vandals. Unfortunately, Jake’s car was caught in the firing line and he discovered one of his windows had been smashed.

“The scarecrows were directly outside my house. One of my neighbours told me the morning after it happened that they’d heard a car park up outside late in the evening,” the 35-year-old nurse said.

“I moved into the area last September so it’s the first time I’ve been involved in the festival. It took a couple of evenings to make the scarecrows.

“I went along to the prize-giving presentation. It was nice as all the kids were involved, and there was a real community spirit,” he added.

The Bisterne Scarecrow Festival started on August 12 and runs until August 27. The event, which takes place in the rural communities of Bisterne, Kingston and Sandford - between Christchurch and Ringwood - is now in its 16th year.

Judges have already awarded prizes to 10 entries across four categories, but members of the public can still vote for their favourite scarecrow.

Organiser Tina Haughton said it was “sad that people find it funny” to vandalise people’s creations, and it was not the first time a scarecrow had been damaged.

“It’s something we’ve always kind of had trouble with. There have been episodes of scarecrows being damaged or taken,” she said.

“People put a huge amount of time and effort into their entries, which is really good. It’s what it’s all about.”

Previous festivals have raised hundreds of pounds for the local village hall. Money is raised through the sale of £1 maps, which help people locate all of the scarecrows.

This year there has been 22 entries, with themes ranging from unicorns and dragons to Peter Rabbit and Rusty the diesel engine.

The overall champion will win the Jocelyn Gratwick trophy, in memory of the local resident who started the festival but sadly passed away seven years ago.