An appeal has been launched after historic standing stones were damaged by “incised graffiti” on the Isle of Arran.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) appealed for information after the carvings were discovered at Machrie Moor, near Blackwaterfoot.
The 4,500-year-old Neolithic stones are said to have been used for religious and ceremonial activities.
The agency, responsible for the care of the country’s historic sites, has appealed for information on social media and said the damage to the protected monument was a “criminal offence”.
They wrote: “Machrie Moor standing stones are a particularly well-preserved landscape of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments.
“We were concerned to discover that one stone has been damaged by incised graffiti.
“The stones are designated as a scheduled monument.
“This means they are legally protected and damage to them is a criminal offence.
“Heritage crime can cause damage that can never be repaired and forces us to spend less resources on important conservation work.
“We encourage anyone with any information about this incident to contact Police Scotland (call 101 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111) or by contacting us at hmenquiries@hes.scot.”
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