A shelter for working donkeys set up by a former air stewardess has been bulldozed by vandals.

Lucy Fensom set up a rescue centre in Israel after leaving her job and Hove in 2000 to concentrate on her charity Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land (SHADH).

As well as the centre, which currently cares for almost 100 mistreated donkeys, Lucy's charity opened Israel's first resting station for working donkeys this summer.

The resting station, consisting of a shelter and water troughs in the village of Tayibe close to the Palestinian border, has been used as a base for weekly free veterinary clinics for working donkeys and horses from both Israel and Palestine.

Owners, some of whom had travelled almost 100 miles and risked the dangerous border crossing, were able to bring their animals for medicine, shoeing, harness replacement or repair, all free of charge.

Lucy, 35, was on a short visit to her family in Sussex with her young son Robert when her husband Adi telephoned from Israel with heartbreaking news that someone had deliberately demolished the shelter with a JCB.

The police were called and are investigating.

Lucy was extremely upset by this attack but flew back to Israel determined to carry on with the project regardless.

Wendy Ahl, fund-raising manager for Safe Haven, said: "Lucy has always had extremely strong faith in what she is doing.

She left a comfortable life in Sussex to set up haven for donkeys all on her own in one of the most volatile parts of the globe so she is not going to let this incident put her off helping the donkeys of Israel and the Palestinian territories.

To find out more about the charity, visit www.safehaven4donkeys.org The charity was founded by Lucy after she became aware of the plight of donkeys in the area while volunteering at an animal sanctuary in Jerusalem.