BEACH huts were damaged and wetsuits covered in glass during an act of vandalism at Bude Sea Pool on Friday night, leaving volunteers to foot the bill and clean up the mess.

When volunteers arrived at the pool early on Saturday morning, they were faced with a devastating scene.

Eight beach huts had broken windows, there was damage to personal property in them and mustard and cooking oil had been spread around inside the huts.

There were also broken beer bottles littered around the terraces and children's bikes, buckets and spades were scattered around the whole area and into the pool itself.

A number of children's wetsuits belonging to the Amateur Swimming Association that were stored for the up and coming Swim Safe initiative were covered in shards of glass and two had to be thrown away.

Fay Hargreaves, charity co-ordinator at Bude Sea Pool, said: "The pool was closed for three hours whilst devastated volunteers cleared the mess, made as many repairs as possible and ensured the poolside was clear of broken glass and safe for the public to use."

The pool is run entirely by volunteers who give their time freely to ensure that Bude people and visitors can continue to use the facilities.

Members of the Friends of Bude Sea Pool (FoBSP) pay a voluntary £10 per year towards the sea pool and volunteers and businesses raise funds throughout the year to keep the sea pool open.

Fay said the police had been very helpful and forensics officers were looking into the incident.

The committee held a meeting on Tuesday evening, where plans for a security system for the sea pool area were discussed.

If anyone has any information regarding the incident, please contact Bude Police on 101.