Vandals have damaged a charity playgroup's new shed just days after it was delivered.

Volunteers had worked for months to raise the £1,000 needed for the new storage for Brightlingsea Play Centre's play equipment.

It was installed at the recreation ground at Regent Road last Thursday to replace a battered old shed which was there before - but now the new one is likely to be replaced, too.

On Saturday the centre's leader Anne Baxter took a phone call saying somebody had started pulling bits of felt off the roof of the brand new wooden storage.

The cost of repairing it is not the only problem: heavy rain could leak through the damaged roof and ruin play equipment.

So the group has decided to replace it with a lockable metal eight by 20 feet container and it is appealing for anyone who has one to provide or donate to call it.

Mrs Baxter said of the vandalism: "I'd like to think it was just kids messing around.

"If they are children they are likely to have attended the group at some point and might have brothers or sisters who go there."

She added: "We've got six weeks of summer holiday and we can't have a 24-hour patrol."

The money for the shed came from grants from Tendring District Council and the town council as well as fundraising events.

If you have a suitable container the group could use, call Mrs Baxter on 07719 349516.

Damage - leader Anne Baxter shows the ripped fencing at the Brightlingsea centre

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