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A charity said it has been left in shock after vandals smashed its windows in the middle of the night as volunteers were helping callers in distress.

Hastings and Rother Samaritans said the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning (July 18).

Police have now launched an appeal for witnesses.

The charity said the Hastings and Rother branch, which is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary, is now facing a bill running into hundreds of pounds to repair the damage.

The Hastings and Rother Samaritans building in St Andrew's Square after the windows were smashed by vandals

Two volunteers were on shift inside the St Andrew’s Square branch in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and while shaken were unharmed, the charity said. Police are now investigating the incident, it added.

Graeme Bower, vice-director at Hastings Samaritans, said: “We are extremely saddened by this destructive act of vandalism and are very upset for our two wonderful volunteers who were answering calls to those in distress when this happened.

“We are thankful that nobody was hurt, but this has caused major damage to our branch and huge disruption to the support we provide.

“Samaritans volunteers give their time to ensure we’re here 24 hours a day, and deserve to be able to do this without the fear of having our property damaged.

“The branch is now open again, thanks to our volunteer’s resilience and commitment to providing emotional support, both to the local community, and to people who contact us from across the country.

“We’re proud to be here for everyone, even whoever carried out this act, should they ever need us.”

The charity said anyone who wishes to donate to the branch can visit the branch’s fundraising page.

Anyone can contact Samaritans, free, 24/7, on 116 123, email [email protected] or visit www.samaritans.org.

A Sussex Police spokesperson confirmed that the incident is being investigated and are appealing for witnesses.

The spokesperson said: “Police received a report about criminal damage at a premises in St Andrew’s Square, Hastings, at about 1.40am on July 18.

Officers are investigating, and witnesses or anyone with information or relevant CCTV footage is asked to report it to Sussex Police online, quoting serial 76 of 18/07.”

Vandals target Hastings and Rother Samaritans charity's building