A GROUP of autistic children were devastated when they returned from an outing to find thieves had broken into their Variety Club Sunshine coach.

The five teenage boys from Beaucroft Foundation School at Colehill, near Wimborne, and three members of staff were enjoying a walk in the New Forest when the break-in happened.

Forestry Commission rangers managed to track down the group, who returned to the vehicle at Puttles Bridge car park, near Brockenhurst, to find a front window had been smashed and a number of personal items, including money, stolen from inside.

Head teacher Paul McGill said the youngsters, aged between 14 and 16, were "terribly upset" following the incident on Tuesday, November 1.

"They were naturally very distressed to see their bus had been vandalised in this way," he told the Daily Echo. "It took the staff a great deal of time to explain that it was not a personal attack on them but they still felt very insecure and threatened by what happened.

"Fortunately, it could still be driven back to school and has gone straight to the garage to be repaired."

Mr McGill said the Variety Club gave the school the bus about 10 years ago and it was an essential part of the curriculum as the youngsters took skills learned in the classroom into the community.

"We cannot do without it. We have three buses altogether and they are used virtually every day," he added.

The school's friends association is currently aiming to raise £10,000 for a new Variety Club bus.

First published: November 3, 2005