Volunteers and children at an Angus youth centre are facing a blue Christmas after it closed its doors due to vandalism.
The Vault in Kirriemuir opened in February after a massive community effort “to give the kids something to do”.
It is now shut at least temporarily after “vandals” wrecked the interior of the hall in Glengate and gave volunteers something to think about after the festive season.
But organisers have vowed the service will return in some shape or form following discussions next month.
Chairman Murray David said the closure has been prompted by the destructive behaviour of some of the young people who came in.
He said: “Being in close proximity to a busy street, the drop-in facility very quickly became a dangerous place for youths to be.
“Disrupting neighbours, running across a busy street and generally putting lives at risk was not at all envisaged and, no matter how many times the children were told, they would not take care on the street.
“A new policy was introduced requiring the youths to sign in and out once out they were out for the night so the drop-in facility had gone, but this only led to some exceptionally bad behaviour within the building, including damage to the fabric of the building and lack of respect for peers or volunteers.
“It became increasingly clear that no matter what was in place it wasn’t what the youths wanted.”
An active youth volunteer in Kirriemuir, who asked not to be named, said organisers are keen to “make a go” of the centre.
He said: “It’s not a great location for the kids to be coming in and out of because they can run out on the street and cause hassle for the neighbours.
“They should be able to enjoy their homes as much as anyone else, so there has to be a solution. But you also can’t coop them up it’s tricky.”
Local councillor Iain Gaul said the young people and their parents should “be ashamed” of what they have done to the Vault and to the town.
“They’ve vandalised just about everything that was provided for them they’re rude, have few boundaries and are abusive to the volunteers,” he said.
“Why should people volunteer to be abused by 13, 14 and 15-year-olds who should know better?
“The young people involved should be ashamed of themselves for what they’ve done to this town.”
Outlining some of the problems, he went on: “They’ve also been causing issues in the vicinity such as graffiti, shouting and bawling in the street, and throwing pool balls around.
“A lot of hard work was put in and it’s just been abused.
“I’m also sure that it’ll be the same kids who’ll now say that there’s nothing to do,” he went on.
“To say the volunteers are disappointed is an understatement.”