Belfast: Shankill nursery vandalism leaves staff devastated

A Belfast preschool has had to close after vandals smashed its windows, leaving staff "devastated".

Bricks were found inside the facility on Wednesday morning and staff spent the day picking shards out of children's books and toys.

Parents at Small Wonders Childcare, off the Shankill Road, had to keep their children home or make other childcare arrangements at short notice.

CEO Betty Carlisle said the vandals should "hang their heads in shame".

"These are children from the area," she told BBC News NI.

"Their working parents are trying hard to keep their families going especially in the cost of living crisis."

Betty Carlisle said staff are devastated following the attack

Ms Carlisle said this was the first attack of its kind since the centre opened.

"We haven't had any vandalism here for 15 years in this building, so we were taken aback, devastated, disappointed, appalled," she added.

Ms Carlisle said she is hopeful the centre can re-open for Thursday morning.

Staff clean-up

Kelly Lowry, centre manager of Small Wonders Childcare, said she was on her way to work when she received a phone call from another staff member telling her what had happened.

When she arrived, she rang the police and then began informing parents that they could not bring their children to the centre.

Kelly Lowry and other staff had to contact parents about the centre being forced to close

Visibly upset as she spoke, Ms Lowry explained how she and other staff members have spent the morning trying to clear up and make the room safe for toddlers again.

Police said they are investigating the incident and believe the damage occurred some time between 18:30 BST on Tuesday evening and 07:45 on Wednesday morning.

They have appealed to anyone who noticed suspicious behaviour in the area between these times or those with CCTV footage to contact them.