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Community rallies round to repair vandalised steps

Rachael McMenemy
Owen Sennitt/BBC A set of handrails badly damaged can be seen next to a series of steps that lead down to a sandy beach in Mundesley, with sea defences and groynes visible in the backgroundOwen Sennitt/BBC
Handrails have been ripped off and are believed to have been used for a fire on the beach

Villagers have rallied round to raise funds to repair railings along steep steps to a beach which had been ripped away to be used as firewood.

The route, known as Cardiac Hill in Mundesley, on the north Norfolk coast, was closed for safety reasons after the discovery last week.

Police are investigating the vandalism.

A charity that helped raise money to build and maintain the steps said it hoped to have them reopened by mid-July.

Jack Maclean/BBC A woman with sunglasses and a red jumper looks towards the camera from the top of a cliff above Mundesley beach, which is in the background.Jack Maclean/BBC
Bev Reynolds said there had been minor incidents in the past but "nothing on this scale"

Mundesley Action 4 Cardiac Hill and Coastal Gun Battery, a charity set up more than a decade ago to raise money for the steps, will oversee the repairs.

Bev Reynolds, 79, a trustee of the charity, said: "The support has been absolutely amazing."

She said the trustees had been "truly humbled" by the generosity of the community, with people donating more then £2,200 so far and offering their services.

Trustees were exploring the best way to repair the steps and future-proof them, she added.

She said: "The steps are used by thousands of locals and visitors and have become a huge asset to the community."

Reynolds, who was one of the first to come across the damage on Wednesday, said: "It was just a shock and devastation of seeing bits of wood burnt on the beach, and 10 years' worth of work and maintaining [the steps] had been completely ruined, but I'm truly amazed by everyone's response."

There had been offers of help from businesses and members of the public, she added.

"What we're really hoping to do is have them completed by the beginning of the school holidays because it's going to be very, very busy then, and if we don't have them sorted it will cause a lot of grief for a lot of people," she said.

The route is popular with dog walkers, as it leads to one of the few stretches of beach where they can walk their pets all year round without summer restrictions.

Owen Sennitt/BBC Looking down towards the beach, there is a series of steps with broken wooden handrails. Sand and sea defences are in the distance.Owen Sennitt/BBC
The Cardiac Hill steps provide the only access point to the western end of Mundesley beach

Police are investigating the vandalism, and forensic officers have taken samples from beer cans left at the scene in an attempt to retrieve DNA.

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