Vandalism occurred in the entrance passages of Ogof Craig a Ffynnon, up to the First Boulder Choke, in May 1986, when wads of rolled up magazines were burnt as flares by one or more intruding non-cavers and an axe used to break a number of thick stalagmites into pieces. The locked gate to the cave, that had so far done a satisfactory job of helping protect the formations, had been forced open.
The damage - 'Gross destruction of formations in Craig-a-Ffynnon' - was reported in Descent (71), July/August 1986, p.8. On this occasion it was felt that the removal of natural obstacles, such as the original squeezes and nasty duck, had played a contributory part in allowing non-caver-vandals access to the delicate natural features.
I'm very sad to hear that Hunter's Lodge Inn Sink has recently also suffered damage to the formations in the cave. Is the means of breaking the stals evident or, on the basis of the localised damage some distance inside the cave, could they have shattered under their own weight through strong vibrations being transmitted through the rock, from drilling or blasting operations taking place somewhere in the vicinity?