Scarecrows beheaded before Hampshire village competition

Ms Foster said six scarecrows were "beheaded" overnight, the day before the displays were to be judged

Scarecrows have been beheaded, stolen and vandalised the night before they were due to be judged in a village competition.

Nearly 100 models were displayed across Droxford, in Hampshire, during September for a festival which is hosted every two years.

But on Friday six scarecrows were "beheaded", including a bride and groom created by local Montessori pupils.

A resident said the masks on some scarecrows were also stolen.

She added that props have gone missing before, but this is the first year scarecrows have been vandalised.

Some masks were stolen from scarecrows and one was labelled "victim of a faceless crime"

Nearly 100 scarecrows were on display in Droxford this year

The festival was created by village residents in 2017 and this year included 93 scarecrows, including Queen Elizabeth II, Paddington Bear, The University of Droxford and The Mask.

People could attend for free and a organisers set up a webpage for donations to go towards youth projects in the village.

On Saturday the displays were due to be judged, but Debbie Foster woke to find someone had stolen the head of her scarecrow, Aunt Sally.

Ms Foster said that she would love for the head of Aunt Sally the scarecrow to be returned

"It's a pretty lady, I don't understand why they did that," she told the BBC.

"It took an evening to make it... [but] I thought, I'll leave it as it is and put a sign saying 'Anne Boleyn'," she added.

The mask used for a Paddington Bear scarecrow had to be replaced after it was stolen

While six of the scarecrows had been vandalised, Ms Foster said the judges had been able to see photos of the displays.

The festival cheers people up, she told the BBC, and added: "Even the couriers and postmen are walking around with smiles on their face."

The winning entry made fun of the vandalism with a police cordon and "forensic scientist" scarecrow

The additional scarecrow, dressed as a detective, was named DI Gummidge

The first incident of vandalism was on 18 September when a punk scarecrow disappeared.

In response the creator of the punk band display transformed it into a "crime scene", with mock police tape, a forensic scientist scarecrow and another scarecrow in a suit, named DI Gummidge.

Another resident is a carpenter and created mock stocks, joking that they are "for the proper punishment of scarecrow thieves and vandals".

Droxford Scarecrow Festival will run until 2 October.

A carpenter in the village made joke stocks to "punish" scarecrow thieves and vandals after the incidents