Play equipment damaged by vandals in a Carlisle park could cost thousands of pounds to replace.

A rope bridge connecting the wooden ship and "squid-like" structure in Chances Park, Morton, was burned some time between Sunday evening and Monday morning.

A community group that helps to look after the park, off Wigton Road, says it believes the rope suspending the bridge has been burned, possibly by a group of youths that gathered in the area.

Iris Rogan, of the Friends of Chances Park, told the News & Star that the equipment is in the adventure play area, designed to be used by older children.

"There's a rope 'gangplank' connecting the wooden ship with a giant squid, which some people call an octopus," she said.

"I've been down and it looks like they've put some plastic or something there and used it to burn the rope. There have been a group in the park causing a bit of hassle, so it might've been them."

Last September the Friends of Chances Park were awarded £12,000 by Tesco to replace other play equipment, but Iris said not of it had been damaged by the vandals.

"We're probably looking at between £2,000 and £3,000 to replace the gangplank," she said. "It's a specialist bit of equipment, we've got to get a particular bit of rope."

She added that the incident had been passed on to police by members of the green spaces team. "We'll probably have to cover the cost through our insurance," she said.

"But compared to other parks we've been quite lucky in that there hasn't been much vandalism before.

"It's just a shame that they've done it because it spoils it for other people."

John Bell, Labour councillor for Morton, said he was "extremely disappointed" to discover that the equipment had been vandalised.

He said: It's the only park in the area that has play equipment for children in it and it's used quite regularly.

"Whoever did it should probably find something better to do.

"If anyone sees anyone vandalising it or knows anything then they should be contacting the police or the council."

A spokeswoman for Cumbria police added that a report of a rope bridge at the park had been made yesterday morning.

She added that it had taken place some time between 5pm on Sunday and 11am.

Anyone with information or who witnessed the equipment being vandalised is asked to call 101, quoting log number 64 of February 6.