A SAILING club could be thousands of pounds out of pocket after a fire destroyed a building used for its weekly races.

The race box, which stood on 10ft stilts at the side of the lake at Mote Park, Maidstone, has been gutted by vandals.

The box, which had the appearance of a bird hide, was used by club officials to instruct boats taking part in races. It is expected to cost £7,000 to replace.

Maidstone Sailing Club commodore David Fillery described the blaze as a “big blow” during what has been a troubled time for the club.

Plans to redevelop Mote House have meant the club will have to relocate to a new part of the lake. It is struggling to find the necessary funding.

In October, Maidstone council’s cabinet deferred a decision on financial aid to cushion the blow of moving, saying no decision could be made until plans for Mote House were formally considered.

Cllr Morel D’Souza (Lab), cabinet member for recreation and community services, said this week negotiations with the developer were ongoing but a final outcome was still some time away.

Mr Fillery said: “We have raised £35,000 of the £200,000 we need for our new clubhouse, but we will have to dip into that now because of this fire. It couldn’t have come at a worse time.”