ANIMAL charity Dogs Trust has contacted the police after several public artworks were damaged by vandals across South East Wales on the weekend.

Several sculptures in the A Dog's Trail with Snoopy outdoor exhibition were vandalised just days after being unveiled to the public, including one artwork that stood outside Caerphilly Castle.

Three other Snoopy statues were damaged in Cardiff.

Each sculpture along the trail was decorated with a design by a Welsh artist, and the exhibition was intended to be a family occasion for the Easter holidays.

But the organisers have been forced to remove four of the works from the trail "due to vandalism", they said in a statement on Sunday.

It is hoped the damaged Caerphilly sculpture will be back in place by the end of the week, after emergency repairs were carried out.

"This is devastating, not only for us but for the artists who put so much hard work into their designs, [as well as for] the sculpture sponsors and of course the public who want to enjoy this beautiful art trail," Dogs Trust said.

"A Dog's Trail was designed to bring the people of South Wales together, to be a tourist in your own towns and cities and be proud of the creativity in the region."

The charity said organisers were "hopeful" the sculptures could be repaired and were "liaising with the police about the damage".

South Wales Argus: Welsh Wildflowers, the Snoopy sculpture designed by Elis Mutlu which has since been vandalised outside Caerphilly Castle. Picture: USWWelsh Wildflowers, the Snoopy sculpture designed by Elis Mutlu which has since been vandalised outside Caerphilly Castle. Picture: USW

The sculpture damaged in Caerphilly was by Elis Mutlu, a second-year illustration student at the University of South Wales. His senior lecturer, Matt Morgan, had spoken of the faculty's pride at having their students take part in the exhibition.

Speaking after the vandalism incident, Dogs Trust said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has already been out to meet our beautiful Snoopy sculptures and also shared their Trail images. We have loved seeing all the photos. So many of our Snoopy sculptures are still standing, colourful and proud and we know that they will continue to spread joy and be enjoyed by thousands of people, and their dogs, in the coming weeks.”