Volunteers are unable to continue their work at a heritage site after thieves stole their electricity generators.

The Friends of Shoreham Fort were shocked when they arrived last week to find their padlocks smashed and £2,500 worth of equipment missing – some of which was loaned to them out of goodwill.

Gary Baines, 31, from Lancing, who founded the group, said: “Two of the generators were donated by local people but one was on loan from someone and therefore they have lost out, simply because of their own kindness. That generator was worth £1,200.

“It makes me feel sick to think someone can steal from a heritage site, knowing that it is volunteers working there for the benefit of everyone else.”

The group started work restoring the fort in May 2010. They are clearing the historic tunnels that run underneath it and conducting tours for members of the public.

The generators supplied the electricity for these tours, which have now had to stop.

Mr Baines said: “We were on such a high, and now we just feel really low.”

He says the team have spent more than £54,000 on the site this year and cannot afford to replace the equipment out of donations.

If anyone has a generator they can donate, call Mr Baines on 07787 994815.