Southsea Model Village attacked by vandals with roughly £1000 in damage caused - police investigating incident

Mark Wilson, who runs Southsea Model Village in Eastney Esplanade, said he was driving past the attraction – which is currently closed for the winter – when he noticed that its Hollywood-style sign had been damaged.

Initially assuming it could have been caused by wind, he was “gutted” when he went inside and saw that several of the intricate scale models had been broken. The damage is thought to cost between £500 and £1000 to repair and will take volunteers two or three months to fix.

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Mark told The News: “I was devastated. We get it two or three times a year and it’s gutting – I thought ‘not again. There’s not much more we can do.’ Mark explained that while common, break-ins to the site usually do not result in vandalism.

He added that the problem has gotten worse since regulations surrounding the historic site forced the removal of barbed wire which was previously used to keep out unwanted visitors. Luckily, many of the model buildings thjat make up the attraction are currently in storage.

Mark shared footage showing two figures carrying out the attack, which took place on the evening of Saturday, December 16, on social media along with a statement which said: “They climbed over a 15 foot wall and removed the spiking on top to gain access. They were wearing pretty distinctive clothing so hopefully someone will be able to recognise them.

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"They have done a lot of damage and need to be caught and pay for what they have done. We would be great full if anyone in the surrounding area could look to see if it picked these two up on their CCTV or ring door bells. Not what we need just before Xmas.”

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson said: “We received reports that on Saturday 16 December at around 18:25, two teenage boys had broken in to the Southsea Model Village at Lumps Fort and caused around £1000 worth of damage. Investigations are ongoing. If anyone saw anything that could assist with our enquiries, we are asking that they please call 101 quoting reference number 44230515719, or report to us online via https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/.”