Youngsters in a Sea Cadet unit are devastated after thieves stole their minibus less than a month after they bought it.

Raiders entered the compound belonging to TS Cossack Sea Cadets in Crawley by dislodging the padlock on the 8ft-high security gates.

They hot-wired the minibus and abandoned it nearby stripped of its engine and gear box and burnt down to a shell.

The minibus, which was worth £5,500, also contained several thousand pounds worth of life jackets, wet weather tops and boating equipment which was destroyed.

And because the equipment was left inside the mini-bus overnight the group can only claim £100 towards its loss from their insurance company.

The cadets, who are based in Longmere Road, raised funds for more than a year to buy the secondhand 17- seater minibus through sponsored events and car cleaning.

More than 80 children belong to the inland unit and depend on the minibus to get to and from the coast.

A spokesman for the group said: "It really is an enormous blow to the kids. We are just into the summer holidays and suddenly we have no equipment and no transport. We were planning to take them to Portsmouth today to visit the Maritime Museum but we could not afford to hire another minibus to take them.

"The youngsters raised all the money for the bus, it belonged to them. We felt so lucky when we got it, it was well kept, had a roof rack for equipment and met all the relevant safety standards. We could neither afford or are likely to find as good a bargain again. We are gutted."

Police are investigating the burglary which occurred between midnight and 5am yesterday. Anyone who saw anything suspicious should contact Sussex Police on 0845 6070999.