Vandals trash beach artwork

IT was supposed to be a celebration of community spirit which would be enjoyed by thousands of seaside visitors.

The building of three huge pyramids on Portobello beach has seen scores of volunteers - from toddlers to grandparents - helping fill sandbags to build the 13ft-high structures.

But their efforts have been soured after vandals destroyed their work by pulling apart one of the pyramids.

Now the team behind the public art project has erected security fencing, at a cost of 150 a week, to protect the pyramids. It is also considering employing a security guard to ensure they are not destroyed again ahead of next week's official unveiling.

The attacks and the extra cost means the pyramids may have to be taken down earlier than originally planned.

Portobello residents and visitors to the beach have spent the past three weeks filling the 15,000 sandbags needed to build the three structures.

The sandbags are being sculpted into pyramids by celebrated Scottish artist Hill Jephson Robb, who was commissioned by Portobello's Big Things on the Beach arts trust.

Mr Robb completed the first pyramid on Friday night, but by the next morning it had been stripped down to around half its size, with the sandbags discarded on the beach by the vandals.

The artist also discovered a rug on the beach had been set on fire.

Caroline Muirhead, public arts development worker for Big Things on the Beach, said the setback had been a "real blow" to everyone involved in the project.

She said: "It's very frustrating and disheartening after all the work that's gone into it.

"We thought it was going to be OK, but then this happened at the weekend.

"Jephson spent Monday repairing the damage, but he can't keep doing that - he will run out of energy at some point.

"We might have to think about employing security for the build-up to the unveiling next week.

"It's all extra money that Big Things on the Beach has got to find.

"It costs about 150 a week to hire the security fencing."

The art project, called Wonder, is due to remain in place on the beach until December, but that looks unlikely now.

Ms Muirhead added: "It depends on what state they get into. We might have to take them down before that, which will be really sad."

Portobello councillor Maureen Child said it was a "crying shame" the pyramids have been targeted in such a way.

She said: "It is unbelievable that anybody should think demolishing the pyramids was a clever or sensible thing to do.

"Anything that protects them and enables them to be completed and celebrated needs to be done.

"Hopefully, this was just a one-off incident and the person or people who did it should be thoroughly ashamed.

"A lot of work has gone into the pyramids by members of the community and the artist.

"It would be great to find out who did this and have them account for why they did this."

Despite the vandalism, those involved in the project are trying to stay positive.

Ms Muirhead added: "We are all still certain it will be finished on schedule and are still managing to stay upbeat.

"It's an impressive structure when you see it up and the reaction from the community as a whole has been fantastic."

The 15,000 sandbags being used in the project represent every home in Portobello, and local residents were invited to fill a bag each.

The sandbags are being used for the artwork so that waves and rain don't wash it away. They will be recycled when the pyramids are brought down.

The official unveiling of the pyramids, at the bottom of John Street, takes place next Thursday between 6pm and 8pm.