The hooded vandal eventually managed to pierce through the rubber and disabled the water cannon which had to be taken away and replaced later by another.
It wasn't a vandal or a developer who did this, but Taunton Deane borough council, which has managed the common for more than 20 years.
Just as the country seems ready to take its place on the international stage, gaining credit for its peacefulness, its stability and its pluralism, it will find itself under attack, however unfairly, as a vandal on a planetary scale.
Without wishing to detract from the man's achievements, he has been not so much a wanton vandal or a pedlar of influence as a peerless and opportunistic exponent of inevitable change.
In the violent controversy generated by the removal, Elgin was denounced as a dishonest and rapacious vandal, notably by the poet Lord Byron, while the quality of his acquisitions, later regarded as exceptional, was questioned.
Banksy described himself as a "quality vandal," challenging the authority of political and art institutions on both the right and the left.
Umanets said he was not a vandal: "Some people think I'm crazy or a vandal, but my intention was not to destroy or decrease the value, or to go crazy.
It's also a relief not to have to worry about the car being stolen or damaged by a vandal, he adds.
