Vandals ran riot in a church hall after breaking in through the roof.

A bag of custard powder was ripped open and its contents thrown all over Beulah Baptist Church hall, Clifford Road, Bexhill.

Food from the fridge was thrown about and trodden into the floor.

Eight lemon meringue pies left defrosting overnight for a church lunch had meat and potatoes ground into them and salt poured over them.

Children's toys were strewn over the floor, along with furniture in the church basement.

The scene was discovered by congregation member Phyllis Warburton on Sunday morning.

She said: "I walked in at 7.45am and the first thing I noticed was that all the lights were on and then I saw all this powder.

"We thought it was plaster of Paris but when we looked for the custard powder later we found it was missing.

"It was just stupid behaviour, a senseless thing to do."

Police believed the vandals broke in through a skylight and also stole a telephone.

Anyone who saw anything between Saturday and Sunday is asked to contact Bexhill police on 0845 607099.