Gang of yobs cause £4k worth of damage to Crawley Girl Guides hut

By gebrey

YOBS set fire to a girl guiding hut after smearing the walls in paint and smashing all the windows.

A gang of youths vandalised the hut in Old Brighton Road, Pease Pottage, leaving damage which will now cost thousands of pounds to repair.

The vandals were only stopped in their tracks thanks to a brave intervention by two 19-year-old Scout members, who were told of the attack by a member of the public.

Maureen Palmer, camp advisor for Crawley Scouts, has been left devastated by the incident, which happened last Tuesday (June 16).

She said: "Someone went into the Scout hall and told them a lot of noise was going on up at the guides hut.

"Two 19-year-old twins went up and saw what was going on. They tried to grab them but there were so many of the group, they got off and ran away.

"The Scouts were so brave though, they are a complete credit to themselves."

Mrs Palmer now fears it will take a lot of effort and money to get the guiding hut back in use.

She said: " A lot of damage has been done.

"It is just so sad."

It is believed around £4,000 worth of damage has been caused to the hut which is home to the Girl Guides, the Brownies and other children's groups.

Mrs Palmer added: "There is an awful lot of work to be done. It is devastating to be honest.

"We just don't have the funds to repair it, and it is used a lot. We're not really sure what we will do to be honest.

"We've tried to clear up the best we can, but it is still badlydamaged."

Police believe the yobs had broken into the hut the night before, and had started to put bricks inside before breaking the windows and smearing paint all over the place.

The next evening they came back, put material on top of the cooker inside and set the hut alight.

Mrs Palmer said: "I expect they did it because they were bored, but what kind of an excuse is that?

"Everything is ruined, the cooker, the sink, everything."

Eight youths - five boys and three girls - were arrested by police on suspicion of burglary. They were later released on bail, pending further enquiries.

Anyone who thinks they might be able to help in anyway is urged to call Maureen on 07842 138485.