Volunteers at the Severn Valley Railway were left angry and upset this morning after discovering two of their historic railway carriages had been vandalised over the Christmas holidays.

The units; one from the Great Western Railway and a teak panelled Flying Scotsman carriage from the Great Eastern Railway, have both been taken out of service whilst the expensive operation to restore them begins. Both were parked at the operators Kidderminster base.

Images shared on Facebook this morning show the historic carriages had coloured paint sprayed on the side in a seemingly random attack. A spokesperson for the railway said:

"In the last 48 hours, vandals have attacked some of our historic carriages at Kidderminster with graffiti - an investigation is underway. We are extremely saddened by this turn of events, especially in the season of goodwill.

"But, in true Severn Valley Railway spirit, we will continue with smiles on our faces and ensure the much-loved and painstakingly-restored vehicles are returned to service as quickly as possible for our passengers to enjoy."

Bosses added that, in light of the need to remove these carriages from service, some trains will be shorter than planned and apologised for any inconvenience caused. The spokesperson added:

"Thank you for your messages of support this morning. The vehicles are owned by our Charitable Trust and if you would like to help us return these, and other beautiful vehicles, to service as soon as possible you can donate through our online donation facility.