Roofers have saved Fort Amherst up to £4,000 by agreeing to fix a vandalised roof free of charge.

The Napoleonic fort in Dock Road, Chatham, was targeted overnight on Tuesday, August 21.

It is believed vandals broke in by cutting a padlock. They then smashed tiles on the fort roof causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

After the fort put out a plea for a roofer to fix the damage, Premier Roofcare volunteered to do the job.

Premier Roofcare owner Lee Austin, 29, said: “Multiple people tagged me in the Facebook post and I know people who are very involved in volunteering at the fort, in fact I’ve volunteered there a lot during Halloween.

“When I went to have a look I could tell the tiles had not been damaged through wear and tear, it could only be vandalism.

“It seems someone smashed through the tiles to get to the lead underneath. It’s quite thick and expensive.

“We decided to do it free of charge due to the circumstances and the fort is a charity.

“If I had done it for a client, the cost of the materials and labour would have been about £4,000.

“My boys have been great about it and they were up in the torrential rain.

“We had to order tiles from up north but hopefully the repairs will be finished by the end of next week.”

General manager at Fort Amherst Isobel Sandhu said: “The problem is we are linked to the Great Lines, an open park, which makes it easier to gain access.

“We can’t afford CCTV everywhere. We make our money at events, like tours, weddings and parties at the fort. We are coming up to Halloween, which is our busiest time.”

Police are investigating.