VANDALS have badly damaged an old clinker boat which has been a feature of Chesil Beach for many years.

Rock of Ages had been a focal point near Chesil Gallery where it was constantly admired by local people, visitors and especially divers.

Now vandals have wrecked the old craft, smashing it up and throwing half the boat into a tree.

The boat, which was built in traditional fashion around the General Strike year of 1926, was of ancient design, a flat- bottomed trow with oak frame, elm boards and copper nails.

In the past it was used to transport fishermen and fish over the shallow waters of the Fleet Lagoon.

It belonged to Margaret Somerville of Chesil Gallery.

She said: "I had it placed on the beach as a symbol of Chiswell, the oldest settlement on Portland.

"This weekend, mindless hooligans smashed the old boat into pieces as it lay on the Chesil Beach where people had come to admire and photograph it, children had sat in it and gradually sea kale and sea campion had begun to colonise it."

She added that the Isle of Purbeck Sub-Aqua Club had said that the trow showed an important part of the history of the area and had kept the character of Chesil.

Mrs Somerville said: "It is sad for our machine-obsessed society that these mindless hooligans who destroyed our Rock of Ages have so little respect for heritage and the environment, which they believe they can destroy with impunity.

"Let us hope nature is kind to the old clinker boat and that wild and protected plants of the beach will continue to grow in its ruins."

PC Joanne Lawrence of Weymouth Police said: "This was wanton destruction of what was a much-loved piece of local history.

"We want to catch the people responsible for this and we would urge anyone who saw anything or who has any information about what happened to come forward and contact us in confidence on 0800 555111 or 01305 222222."