VANDALS have wrecked an artwork on Teignmouth seafront, which was lovingly created by adults with learning disabilities, by setting it alight.

The suspected arson attack on the installation, part of Teignmouth’s popular TRAIL annual exhibition, has caused outrage.

Police have been informed following the blaze which left the work, of a family wearing wetsuits, just a pile of dust by the sea.

Firefighters were alerted in the early hours of Monday morning to deal with the fire which was believed to have been started deliberately.

It had been made by adults from Camphill, near Buckfastleigh, which supports adults with learning difficulties and took three months for them to complete.

News of the devastation came before the TRAIL is officially launched and just a day after the Camphill exhibit was installed along the seafront.

TRAIL spokesman Amy McCarthy said organisers were ‘devastated’ to find all that remained of the sculpture was a pile of ashes.

The arts organisation added: ‘Not only is setting fire to other people’s property a serious crime but this sculpture was made by our dear friends at Camphill and they spent months working on it.’

Since the discovery of the fire, Amy said a company had come forward offering to help by making life size cut outs of the display which, it is hoped, can be displayed either in the same location if they can be made weatherproof, or elsewhere in the town.

A spokesman for Camphill said they were ‘gutted and in disbelief’ that people could be so ‘horrible’.

‘We were looking forward to going down to see our work on display as part of this fantastic exhibition but instead it has been destroyed by vandals.’

Responses from the public have expressed outrage at the attack, describing it as ‘mindless vandalism’ and an ‘absolute shame’ for the students who had put so much effort into making it.

Support worker at Camphill Liz Wilkinson Cave said: ‘It is so sad what has happened.

‘The people we support here at Camphill Devon are very sad that their work has been destroyed.

‘The idea behind the work was ‘community and people working together’, so it is very upsetting that people have chosen to destroy the piece in such an awful way.

‘There is nothing left of all the hard work, that took over three months to make.

‘There is a real sense of loss and disbelief amongst everyone who help and supported to make the sculpture.

‘The vandalism happened on the first night the piece was up and everyone was looking forward to a trip out this week to see their work amongst all the other pieces, but it’s gone.’