Village hall flooded in break-in during renovation

A historical village hall which is currently being refurbished has been badly damaged in a break-in.

Burglars broke water pipes and flooded part of the century-old East Boldre Village Hall in the New Forest, its management team said.

The vandalism, including damage to wires and cables, will have a "serious impact" on the renovation project, the team added.

Hampshire police said items including tools were stolen some time between 17:00 BST on 15 April and 08:30 on 16 April.

Trustees raised more than £450,000 for the refurbishment, which began at the start of February.

In a Facebook post, they said: "The wanton vandalism damaged the recently installed fire alarm cables and electrical wiring and water pipes were damaged resulting in a flood.

"This is a serious setback for the works programme in terms of time and cost."

The village hall, built in 1918 as an RAF concert hall, is the last remaining building from the World War One Beaulieu Airfields, according to the charity that runs it.

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