Two Kingsbridge in Bloom volunteers have been expressing their despair after vandals damaged five large plant pots at the Lime Kiln courtyard next door to the Anchor sheltered flats by the Quayside in Kingsbridge.

Rosemary Speed and Claire Drinkwater have been trying to patch the pots up with polythene.

Rosemary described what happened: ‘‘I received a telephone call last Wednesday morning (April 12) from a resident of Kiln House who had been walking her dog and she said a number of pots had been smashed.

We have had a bit of damage before in January and stuff was disturbed inside the Lime Kiln itself so I thought it would be the same but it wasn’t, it was much worse.’’

The historic Lime Kiln is one of over 20 remaining around the Salcombe and Kingsbridge estuary close to the water’s edge. Limestone was burn in the kilns to form lime. This was spread onto the fields by farmers to counteract the acidity of the local soils. It was also used as lime mortar in building and in lime wash for whitening college walls . Before this area was reclaimed, paved boats bought limestone from the Plymouth area to the kiln which was once right on the water’s edge. Behind the arch, there was a hollow or lime pit dug into the hillside. Packhorses carried the limestone from the boats up the hillside to be loaded into the lime pot with alternate layers of charcoal to be burnt. After many days of slow burning, supervised by a ‘lime burner’ it was raked out through the grate at the bottom of the kiln. It fell into disuse in the 19th century due to the use of modern fertilisers.

Rosemary said of the vandalism, she felt ‘defeated’. Claire felt the same adding ‘‘Why do we bother? My heart wasn’t in it. We do it because the residents really appreciate it. It’s got a feeling about it just like a cloister.’’

Rosemary added: ‘‘Visitors love it, and to learn about the history.’’

One of the residents said they spotted around five children aged around 12 who ran off when he shouted down.