Restoration of historic Sheffield building hampered by vandals and thieves

Age UK Sheffield said incidents occurred at the restoration site of the historic Old Coach House, which is currently under construction to turn it into a dementia-friendly community hub, this week.

The charity's CEO, Steve Chu, said newly fitted windows were smashed and several items were missing from the site.

He said: “Somebody broke through the windows which have recently been fitted into the Old Coach House building.

“They also carried out some vandalism to the fence of Hillsborough Park and the Walled Garden.

“There were also some thefts from the building site where some equipment and some internal fittings that were going to go into the Old Coach House were.”

Mr Chu said: “It's a real shame that we are investing in improving the park for the local community and it's very sad that these events have happened.

“But the vast majority of people are supporting us and want us to continue this project to completion.

“It's frustrating but it won't affect the project in the long term. We will continue to work on our site. It's just disappointing for us.”

Age UK Sheffield has received approval from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to carry out restoration work on the Grade II-listed building.

The abandoned coach house was last used as a munitions store during World War II.

South Yorkshire Police has been contacted.