Police are searching for three people after two statues of Shaun the Sheep belonging to a charity were vandalised.

The sculptures were destroyed in Maidstone, Kent, where they were part of a trail of 100 unique pieces about the children’s cartoon character that have been placed around the town since June.

The sheep, designed and hand-painted by local artists, were due to be auctioned by the Heart of Kent Hospice and were expected to raise £10,000.

The statues, located in Brenchley Gardens and Fremlin Walk, were “irreparably damaged” shortly after 22:00 (BST) on August 18, Kent Police said.

According to police, three men took turns kicking the Fremlin Walk statue and then pushing it over.

One of them was described as Asian and was wearing a black T-shirt with a small round white logo, black pants and black boots.

The other two were described as white. One was wearing a gray hoodie and black shorts, the other a black long-sleeved polo shirt and dark blue jeans.

According to police, all three are believed to be in their late teens or early twenties.

The hospice said earlier it was “with a broken heart” because of the vandalism.