15367/1GAZETTE & HERALD: A CASH-STRAPPED community centre is facing a huge clean-up bill after vandals destroyed files and children's work when they covered the interior of the building in paint and bleach.

Around 20 mothers and toddlers had to be turned away on Thursday as a police crime scene investigator was called to collect DNA.

It is thought the vandals struck at Englands Community Centre, in Wood Lane, Chippenham, around 7pm last Wednesday.

The floor was left covered in powder paint, walls were sprayed with poster paint and a filing cabinet containing children's pictures and work, as well as important committee documents, was opened and paint poured inside.

Carpets were ruined, toys had paint chucked over them and the centre's kitchen was ransacked.

The vandals also left a sinister message, "Bitch. I will get you", written in the paint.

The chairman of the community centre's committee, Peter Causer, discovered the damage with his group of morris dancers before their meeting at 8pm.

He said: "It's just sad. We are struggling at the moment to keep this all together.

"We have lost our grant from the North Wiltshire District Council and before this happened we had enough money for three years.

"This is going to cost a couple of grand and because we have not got much money it will effect us.

"I feel a bit beleaguered now. We have a meeting on February 24 and we will look at where we can go."

Treasurer Tony Reeves said staff had discovered the front door had been left open and presumed it was a problem with the groups using it.

After investigation they felt someone may have a key and were due to change the locks the day after the attack.

"There has been trouble at various times," he said. "We had had kids climbing on the roof and someone pushed our fence over in the last week.

"I was absolutely devastated when I heard about it on Wednesday night. When my wife told me I could've cried because it takes up so much of your time to make it work.

"It's a shame. It's tucked out of the way and that's probably the problem.

"When we've washed it off the floors we will have to re-varnish the floors and the carpets are going to have to be renewed."

Dancing groups as well as an aerobics class, a church group, the guides and the toddlers' group all use the hall .

Alison Flynn, who helps run the mothers' and toddlers' group, said on Thursday: "We have had to turn the children away this morning and luckily it's half-term next week so we can sort out this mess.

"We are going to have spend time cleaning this up rather than at home with our children. Looking at this it makes me feel sick.

"It's very difficult to imagine anybody who would want to do this. It's completely mindless."

Mrs Flynn urged Gazette readers to help catch the culprits and said someone must have seen people covered in paint walking around on Wednesday night.

"Maybe they've bragged to their friends people must know.

"People just cannot be allowed to do this sort of thing.

"It's let down an awful lot of small children and ruined a lot of their work and the plans we have done with them."

PC Martyn Cole who is in charge of investigating the case said: "As a force we will not tolerate this sort of vandalism and will be doing everything we can to identify the perpetrators of this offence."

Anybody who may have any information about the attack can contact Chippenham Police on (01249) 654455.