A FAMILY support charity is asking its neighbours to be on the look out after vandals destroyed a new outside children’s area.

Home Start Harwich has run from St Nicholas Hall in Stour Road for the last twenty years, but about 18 months ago they were given a small piece of vacant land to use on the opposite corner of Vansittart Street.

With grant money the land was fenced off and transformed into a special area for families.

But earlier this month vandals burnt seating, pots and pans from the mud kitchen, plastic toys and plant pots.

Manager Wendy Taylor, said: “We were off on the bank holiday Monday and we use it on a Tuesday morning so I went up there at 8.30am and found it.

“It was heartbreaking.

“We don’t know who did it and no-one called the police.

“It must have been quite a large fire, the trees are scorched eight or nine feet high.

“It’s so sad someone would do that - there is no need for it.

“We would encourage people to use it if children want to go in but this wasn’t children - They’ve had a big fire and there were empty alcohol bottles.

“We had log seats and they are all burnt and the toys - it was molten plastic.

“We had a grant from Tendring big Society, which paid for a lot of the equipment.

“We have been able to use this site so that children are able to dig holes, plant seeds, play with mud, and pick up snails and bugs etc - all really valuable life experiences.

“It’s such a shame this has happened.”

The land, which use to be a flytipping hotspot, has now been cleared up but charity workers fear it could happen again.

Wendy added: “We really hope people will keep a look out for what is going on and have a bit of community spirit.

“The church hall has had slates taken from the roof.

“We don’t want to punish anyone but we want the damage to stop.

“We don’t want it to happen this bank holiday.”

The charity is also trying to get new dog poo bins installed in an effort to stop owners leaving dog poo on the pavement near the hall or throwing bags of dog waste into the new children’s area.