A charity has been targeted in a 'devastating' vandalism spree.
Youth Vision, based in the Pentland Hills, was one of several sites damaged on Saturday in a series of incidents across the Threipmuir and Loganlea reservoir areas.
In a statement online, Youth Vision thanked the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for their prompt response and the member of the public who raised the alarm about the fire at one of their sites.
"Unfortunately, the Pentland Hills were hit with a string of vandalism last night. Not only was Youth Vision broken into, but the vandals decided to set fire to our Poly House. The police are still investigating."
Three masked people were seen on CCTV moments before they apparently ripped security cameras from a cafe at one of the fisheries, which they also broke into.
Manager and founder of Youth Vision, Sara Beauregard, said: "Some kids broke into the fishing hut at Rogan Lee, which has tuck and petty cash in it, and they vandalised that, and then they headed for the Black Hill. I think it could be the same ones, but I'm not blaming."
The charity’s eco-polyhouse at Threipmuir Farm Cottage was destroyed in a fire.
The fire broke out around 5pm on Saturday, January 24, but by the time Ms Beauregard was alerted by a member of the public, the fire had been completely extinguished by emergency services by 7pm.
In the aftermath, Ms Beauregard and a small team of volunteers, including the young people involved in the youth project, have resecured the building and have set up a fundraiser to help with the estimated £5,000 damage.
Ms Beauregard, who founded the charity 15 years ago after restoring 18th-century ruins in the heart of the Pentland Hills, described the break-in.
She said: "They came to our cottage, they broke into every door in the cottage, and vandalised inside, just throwing chairs upside down, smashing some crockery, kicking in a plastic kit chair.
"Nothing else. Most of our things aren't really breakable. Just wrecking the place.
And then they moved into the poly house, which the young people had built. It was used to grow veg and things like that. And that was set on fire, and as a result, the whole roof went up."
Ms Beauregard said: "We do get broken into occasionally, but the young people we work with get really angry because it's their youth club. It's their cottage.
It's an 80th-century farm cottage, and we treat kids as adults, and they own it, and they work the land, they plant the veg, they make their soup, and they look after it.
"So I think they've been much more devastated.
"But you know, I am devastated."
Despite the devastation, Ms Beauregard is remaining true to the charity's morals.
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She says: "We can rebuild, and we can reteach the kids and the new kids coming through.
"And if we do find these young people, they're welcome to come up and help us rebuild it too, because that's the way they'll learn, and maybe join a nice community like ours, and feel a part of something instead of vandalising the local area."
Police Scotland has confirmed it is investigating the incidents.
