Vandals have run riot during an attack on a string of beach huts.

More than 15 had their doors smashed overnight and equipment including fishing gear, binoculars and coffee machine refills stolen on Sheppey.

Police have been investigating the raid this morning on the seafront at The Leas, Minster.

It is one of the first cases of vandalism reported on the council-built huts although there had been an attempt to set fire to some previously.

Beach hut owner Arthur Wallace, a 70-year-old retired prison governor from Minster, said: "The people who did this are losers. They must have spent ages trying to break in, jemmying open the door panels.

"All the doors are fitted with high security locks and metal bars.

"But who in their right mind would leave anything of value in a beach hut?

"They scattered things around in our hut but it wasn't too bad, considering they were thieves.

"The only thing they took were some Nescafe coffee refills."

Fellow hut owner Cllr Simon Fowle said: "I cannot understand why some people think it is OK to ruin people's pride and joy."

Another fumed: "The people who did this are pigs."

Furious owners were busy trying to repair the damage this morning.

Swale council has built 50 on the Island and has a waiting list of more than 400.

Of the 35 on The Leas near Seaside Avenue, 10 are owned and managed by the Minster Beach Hut Association, 19 are leased by the council to individuals and six are rented to "interested parties."

Ian Arnell, the council's seafront manager, said beach huts had been vandalised from number 18 to 35.

He was already in the area helping to ensure the Island's first free 5k parkrun went off without a hitch.

A police spokesman said: "Officers are making enquiries following a report that a number of beach huts in the Leas, Minster, have been damaged.

"We were made aware of the damage at around 7.40am on Saturday."

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