THE Swindon branch of Extinction Rebellion condemned the vandal who painted the group’s logo on a historic monument.

The group cancelled its planned summer solstice celebration at West Kennet Long Barrow in Avebury after being made aware by Wiltshire Police that graffiti had been sprayed on one of the ancient stones.

Group coordinator Bill Janson said: “We heard from the police that someone had sprayed our symbol on the stones, we were horrified and concerned. This act is completely against our principles.

“We absolutely do not believe in defacing and desecrating ancient monuments. I don’t understand the mindset behind it and we don’t endorse it. Why would anyone do this?

“According to the police, our logo was quite deep in the barrow and you really have to look for it, so someone did it surreptitiously and didn’t want to bring attention to it.

“Understandably, the druid community are very upset about this vandalism so we decided to cancel our event there. Maybe we could come back next year.”

The West Kennet Long Barrow is a Neolithic tomb near Silbury Hill and was first used in 2,500 BC after construction began around 3,600BC - before the first stage of Stonehenge construction began.

It is managed by the National Trust on behalf of English Heritage. The two organisations share the cost of maintaining and managing the site.