A RAILWAY signal on a historical railway viaduct near Winchester has been vandalised.

A glass 'spectacle' on the signal on Hockley Viaduct has been damaged, reports the Friends of Hockley Viaduct.

The viaduct has also seen a spate of graffiti by several offenders, including someone with the tag BANDS.

The viaduct, under the threat of demolition until the 1980s, has been restored and officially reopened to the public in February 2013.

In a letter to the Hampshire Chronicle, the vice chairman Rod Youngman said: "Someone has used a catapult or stone to cause a large crack in the green spectacle. You can imagine after all the hard work the Friends have done over the years how disappointed we are. From what remains of our meagre funds we will have to pay to get the graffiti removed but to get a replacement green aspect will be more difficult."

The 33-span viaduct, one of the first modern structures to be built with a concrete core, was opened in the 1890s and carried its last train in the mid-1960s, following the closure of the line from Newbury to Winchester.

It now forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 23.

See the Chronicle letters page for Mr Youngman's letter in full.