Vandals have virtually destroyed a classroom owned by a motorcycle school in Thanet, with windows smashed, a new £400 door torn out and contents from inside scattered across its yard.

The classroom at South East Motorcycle Training in Kingsgate was left completely unusable and it's not the first time the business has been the target of such an attack.

Paul Duval shared his frustration about the vandalism

The business is owned by 52-year-old Paul Duval from Birchington-On-Sea and his wife Kerry.

Paul discovered the destruction at his site on George Hill Road on Sunday, January 2, with every window of the cabin smashed, leaving dangerous glass scattered across the ground.

The training school has fallen victim to this kind of crime before - two years ago its bikes were stolen when a gang burned down a welded container to reach the motorcycles.

Paul and Kerry have now had to pay out to make temporary repairs because their classes are fully booked this month, but say the classroom is "on its last legs".

They rent a small piece of land on a local farm which has an area of tarmac and the classroom and the pair train people to gain their CBT Licence (Compulsory Basic Training).

Paul says the firm has suffered greatly at the hands of the "old thugs of Thanet", but he says he's become despondent to the attacks as they happen so often.

He said: "The gates were all closed so we weren't expecting anything bad.

"We don't put a lock on the door anymore because if they look inside they'll see it's just a little classroom and they'll leave it alone, which they have done for about eight months or so.

"I came up the track and obviously they've found loads of rocks and they've just just smashed all the windows.

"They've basically battered the portacabin to the point where it's on its last legs now and it's quite dangerous. It's just destroyed now. It's a bit of a mess."

Paul suspects that the attack could have been a group of children or teenagers who were bored during the school holidays, unlike the more sophisticated crimes he has experienced in the past.

He continued: "The first two times where they stole all the bikes out of the containers was quite a professional job by a team of criminals - they just wanted to get the bikes out of there.

"They succeeded the first time and that cost me thousands. The second time they burnt it down.

"But the last two times, I suspect it's just just kids that are bored, and they've wandered into the field. I can't prove any of this because I haven't seen them.

"I just reckon it's kids who have been bored over the holiday period and they've just taken their boredom out on the portacabin."

After having the bikes stolen two years ago and the pandemic closing the school for a period of time, this latest attack has left Paul fronting the financial pressure of maintaining the business he enjoys running.

He added: "It's a hassle, you work hard because it's not a massive business - I really, really enjoy training people and putting people on the road.

"But obviously, it's happened so many times that it makes you a little bit despondent after a while.

"The last two times it has happened I've got so depressed."

The business is fully booked for January and classes are planned to go ahead outside on the tarmac, with the hope that the weather stays dry as the classroom has been temporarily repaired but the damage from this most recent attack has left a lot of internal water damage.

After discovering the destruction, Paul shared a video on Facebook appealing for help from the local community.

He is hoping to source a 20ft converted shipping container so that he can protect the classroom from future attacks and get rid of the current cabin.

Paul said: "It has been amazing because the local people have just been absolutely lovely.

"It does bring you down but there are good people out there as well - a lovely lady set up a JustGiving page.

"They're trying to raise money so we can get some sort of metal office container which I think would be a lot better because it is so vulnerable in that area."

To donate to the JustGiving page, click here