Vandals caused damage costing thousands of pounds to a stone bridge in a children's play park in Brighton.

Tons of stone, including many large blocks, were removed and walkers at The Level thought the bridge was being demolished.

The bridge, which originally spanned a boating lake, was inside a modernised children's play area.

Traders said the damage was the most serious in a spate of recent attacks.

Derek Ford, who runs The Level Cafe with his wife Chris, said it would have been hard work to damage the bridge, which had been a feature of the park for years.

He said: "These are concrete blocks which weigh a couple of hundred weight. You'd have to use a sledgehammer or something like that.

"This attack is particularly bad and is going to cost a few thousand pounds to put right."

The windows of disused changing rooms which had been earmarked as a police box were smashed in a separate attack.

The continuing vandalism is a blow to efforts to breathe new life into the central Brighton park, which has been plagued by drinking, drug taking and vandalism.