A MUCH loved Great Budworth event has been given the chop this year because of the acts of heartless vandals.

After drunken youths trashed the carefully crafted maize maze at Great Budworth Real Dairy Ice Cream Farm last summer, organisers of the annual creation have decided not to make the labyrinth again for fear of a repeat attack.

Last August vandals rampaged through the crop maze on two occasions, leaving a trail of destruction behind them and causing considerable heartache for creator Sarah Williams.

She said: "It was absolutely trashed last year - we were devastated.

"We've been in two minds since the end of December but the damage we suffered last year is one of the main reasons we've decided not to run it again this summer."

Sarah said that due to crop rotation the maze would have to be created further away from the farm this summer and it would be impossible to monitor and police.

She said: "We just haven't got the people to look after it. We even thought about getting someone to stay up there temporarily but it's not possible.

"We wouldn't be able to monitor it and if it's even further away and out of view we're frightened about the damage."

She added: "We've toyed and toyed with the idea of putting it on and we're a bit miffed because it's always been such a fun family event, but whoever trashed it last year has spoiled it for everyone this summer."

The maze would have been launched this week to coincide with the Cheshire County Show but Sarah said that although she is disheartened she is determined to come up with something new.

She added: "We've racked our brains and we've got lots of ideas so we will come up with something but any ideas will be welcome."