A "weird" attack on a surf lifesaving building in Dunedin left the observation deck unusable and the beach unwatched for hours yesterday.
Two people were caught on the St Kilda Surf Live Saving Club’s security cameras destroying the barrier of the observation deck at 11pm on Saturday.
Building manager Cam Third said the vandalism resulted in most of the beach being unwatched for the morning.
The observation deck was used by volunteers to keep an eye on the full extent of the shore.
Without it they had no way of keeping a constant watch on areas not directly outside the club building, such as Lawyers Head beach to the east.
"There are so many blind spots."
Fortunately there were no incidents yesterday, but it was especially dangerous to be leaving the beach unattended as the days become warmer and the beach grew more popular.
The repairs came out of the club’s budget.
"We don’t have a lot of money."
Security camera footage shows the pair loitering around the building for about five minutes before they start kicking out panels from the deck’s fence.
An entire section of the barrier is kicked away, causing about a quarter of it to snap and fall.
They appear to notice the camera behind them and one of them makes a rude gesture as they run away.
Mr Third said he did not know why they had damaged the club, but it was not the first time it had happened.
Before the cameras were installed, the windows were broken or the walls were tagged about once a month.
Now the damage was less frequent and those who had vandalised the club since had been caught using the security footage in the past.
He hoped footage would once again help catch the culprits.
