Portslade scout leader speaks after motorbike fire at hut

Timothy Thorley attended Hove scouts, in Vale Park, Portslade, when he was a boy and has gone on to be its leader.

Antisocial behaviour in the area has long been a problem, he said, but the latest bout, in which a moped fire melted guttering and charred the hut’s exterior walls, could have seen the group without a meeting place.

“I’ve been away and have only just found out. It was incredibly upsetting to see,” said Timothy.

“There is also damage to the window where the records are kept, so it could have been so much worse.”

Groups of scouts visit Vale Park throughout the year to litter pick and plant flowers around the hut – but this year it will not be possible to get flowers in the ground in some areas due to the fire.

The scout hut was badly damaged by the fire (Image: The Argus)

Timothy said: “It’s just frustrating. Young people come down to plant flowers this weekend, so we want to be getting ready for that, but instead we’re clearing up this mess.”

The melted guttering has already been replaced thanks to swift action from Timothy and his father, Roger.

READ MORE: Portslade scout hut near miss after motorbike fire

But the setback comes as the Hove scouts should be concentrating on other activities.

“We are a charity and we’re trying to raise money for an extension to the hut,” said Timothy

“We also rent the hall out for young people’s birthday parties, so things like this really don’t help with that.

Timothy has been involved with the scouts in Hove since he was a child (Image: The Argus)

“Recently we’ve had groups of secondary school children bursting into the door when we’re holding meetings, and around ten years ago children would throw bricks through the windows, so we had to put up the metal to stop that.”

Plans for the extension are already drawn up for the group, which has 140 members.

Timothy, along with mum Sally and Roger, hopes scouts in Hove will continue to thrive.

Roger said: “We, along with many of the parents, have built the group up from one of the smallest to now one of the largest in Brighton and Hove, and have a large waiting list for new children to come in.”

A spokesman for Sussex Police has said enquiries alongside the fire service were "unable to confirm the cause of the fire and the investigation has been filed pending any further reasonable lines of enquiry”.

To donate to the extension fund, please contact the scout group via its website.