A DEESIDE charity's Santa float was pelted with stones by local youths in an "absolutely disgusting" incident.

Deeside Round Table was attempting to spread some much needed festive cheer in Garden City by delivering Christmas trees on Sunday.

However, the float was soon pelted with missiles by local youths and one local resident later took to social media to say the actions of the culprits was "absolutely disgusting".

They said: "Shame older children have to wreck it for the young ones. These children have missed enough this year.”

Organisers said they are relieved no one was hurt but stressed they had never intended to tour the streets with their Santa float.

To do so may have encouraged crowds in breach of Covid rules, the charity said.

Sunday’s incident occurred when its members were delivering a pre-booked Christmas tree to a resident in the area.

Deeside Round Table chairman Mark Sephton said: "The stones could have hit a windscreen, a bystander or one of our members.

“We asked them to stop and they did. Only two stones were thrown.

“We think some families were under the mistaken impression that we were driven away from the area. We weren’t – we delivered a tree and left as planned.

“This incident won’t stop the Santa float returning to the area."

In 2018 the float was pelted with objects in Garden City, and it didn't return to the area the following year.

However, while Deeside Round Table said it had “not always been welcomed with open arms” in some communities, the decision to miss out Garden City in last year's tour was down to a shortage of volunteers, rather than because of the previous year's incident.

But this year membership has soared to 34 as Deeside Round Table put in a gargantuan effort to help communities through the Covid-19 crisis.

During the first lockdown more than £10,000 worth of food was donated to elderly and vulnerable local people.

More recently the round table and its partners provided free lunches for families affected by the pandemic.

For Halloween,its members dressed up to hand out scare packs, and in November they hosted the first in a series of drive-in movies, bringing Frozen 2 and Sonic The Hedgehog to Greenacres Animal Park in Mancot.

Deeside Round Table's Christmas push includes virtual grottos as members attempt to “bring a bit of happiness” to under-privileged communities.

For £5 youngsters can have a five-minute meeting with Santa via Zoom, with four of the seven grotto evenings already sold out, and others not far short of being.

The charity says it is in discussion with Flintshire County Council to see if there is something can organised as an alternative to this year's Santa float.