A Swedish Christmas goat has been burned down by vandals for the 24th time.

A spokeswoman for Gavle city said someone set fire to the 43ft straw goat - which was put up to mark the festive season - and only a charred wooden skeleton remains.

It is the 24th time the goat has been burned down since it was first put up in the Swedish city in 1966 to mark the Christmas holidays.

As well as being burnt, it has also been smashed several times, had its legs cut off and been run over by a car.

In 2006 and 2007, it was doused in fireproofing chemicals by city officials but they had to stop because the figure was left discoloured.