No-one will blame Surf Life Saving Eastern Region Lifesaving manager Leigh Sefton for feeling really ticked off.

For the second time in a week vandals have damaged the new Tay Street lifeguard tower, with the most recent incident occurring on Monday night.

Leigh says the first incident on Wednesday, December 21 - only two days after the tower was opened - saw vandals force their way inside and destroy the lifeguards' work bench by smashing it in two.

While Monday night's incident saw vandals return and smash one of the windows, as well as steal the ladder leading up to the tower.

'I have lifeguards on the beach right now who can't gain access to the tower because the ladders gone.

"We've easily got 300-400 people on the beach at the moment, it's absolutely chocka, and the lifeguards don't have the ability to look up and down the beach and monitor it safely.”

In the interim the lifeguards will use a ladder which Leigh has brought from home.

Leigh is appealing to members of the community, especially people living in and around the Tay Street area, to keep an eye on the tower.

If you see anything suspicious or anyone hanging around the tower who looks like they're up to no good please call police immediately, asks Leigh.

'It's extremely frustrating for us, vandalising the tower is no different to someone having a crack at an ambulance, a fire engine or a police car.

'I'm absolutely angry and gutted that anyone could contemplate doing this to an essential piece of life saving equipment.”

As well as stealing the Tay Street lifeguard tower's ladder, vandals also smashed one of the windows. Photo: Bruce Barnard.