Park rangers have been left to pick up the pieces after vandals ripped apart a climbing frame and tried to set fire to it.

Staff discovered the damage to the tunnel climbing frame at Jeskyns Community Woodland in Gravesend on Sunday, and believed the damage was caused the previous night.

Ranger Denise Bird said the frame was currently closed but they hoped to reopen it by the weekend.

“Some vandals have come in and ripped out a big bit of timber from the tunnel climbing frame,” she said.

“They smashed it up and tried to start a fire. Thankfully they weren’t successful but it has put the play equipment out of action until they can get it repaired.

“It’s just mindless vandalism by kids that come partying at night.

“It’s unfortunate. It’s not regular but it does happen sometimes. It’s usually during the holidays.”

She estimated repairs to the play equipment, which was built at the park in 2012, would cost around £250, but said the greater impact was on staff time and the inconvenience caused to customers.

She added: “It’s heartening to see the reaction of so many people on our Facebook page.

“It sparked about a 100 angry face emojis on our page and people were saying it’s mindless.

“It’s good to see how much support we’ve got from regular visitors.

“It’s something we have to deal with and try to fix as soon as possible. We’ll try to have it open this weekend.”