Volunteers have been left devastated after turning up for a work party on Tuesday morning to discover all their equipment had been stolen.

Members of the Valley Conservation Society arrived in Cave Hill in Tovil to work on Crisbrook Meadow and the the Hayle Park Nature Reserve only to find that thieves had broken into their Conservation Cabin.

They stole three strimmers, two chain-saws, two leaf-blowers, a hedge-cutter, two battery-powered drills, along with harnesses and helmets for use with the strimmers.

The voluntary group has spent the last 19 years fund-raising to build up the collection of tools.

Committee member Dennis Usmar, who discovered the theft, said: “It’s heart-breaking.”

Police said there had been a spate of seven similar break-ins to outbuildings in the Maidstone area in the last two weeks.

Anyone with information about the theft, or who is invited to buy similar items cheaply in suspicious circumstances, is asked to call Kent Police on 01622 604100, quoting reference 16-0449.

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