A community leader has been left disappointed after police were unable to catch the people responsible for vandalism at a former residential home.

Councillor Des Barlow said he was left disappointed that action had not been taken on the issue of vandalism on Walney after Cumbria police closed the case.

Police confirmed they were contacted on three separate occasions between April 13 and April 15 about anti-social behaviour and criminal damage to Combe House on Central Drive.

A spokeswoman for Cumbria Constabulary said: “No investigation was conducted following an initial incident log.

“The building is partially demolished, and nothing could be attributed to the day in question.

“A search concluded that there were no parties on scene, and nobody was trapped or injured, and the log was closed.”

Cllr Barlow, who represents north Walney, was unhappy and highlighted the nearby nursery and homes that would be ‘less than pleased’ with the news.

“Whether a building is unoccupied or not they should not be entered and vandalised; it just should not be happening,” Cllr Barlow said.

“This does not send a good message to the public that they have not followed up on this.

“It was the same when the community centre in North Scale was vandalised; they would not send anyone down and it is an action that should be acted upon.

“This resulted in us investing in CCTV for the community centre.

“There is property around that building with the nursery and houses, and how they would feel about this news is not good I would imagine."

Police previously told The Mail that the reports were of youths entering the property and throwing rocks.

Windows have been damaged during the incidents.

Vandalism at North Scale Community Centre earlier this year led to Cllr Barlow and other members of the centre’s committee investing in CCTV so they can protect the asset they have.

“If we have to bring the evidence ourselves, we are basically doing their job for them and we would then have to send the evidence such as CCTV footage to them for them to act on,” Cllr Barlow said.

“I know that the police are stretched, and they work night and day for the public which they should be commended for, but I would have liked to see a more positive response to this matter.

“However, that said, I still feel like this sort of thing should not be happening anyway. People should not be throwing rocks through windows and causing damage.”

The pictures of the vandalism were originally put out on social media by Walney Central Nursery, which neighbours the site, in a bid to inform parents of what some children are up to and warn them of the issue for the protection of the children.

The area is fenced off, but the nursery staff believed youths spotted on their CCTV accessed the site via a back route.

Esteem Homes, which manages the site, said it was sending workers to board up the building.