A SCOUT leader believes there may be a vendetta against the organisation after a hut in Ebbw Vale was attacked by arsonists.

The Penuel Scout Hut, Church Street, Ebbw Vale, was nearly destroyed and at least £3,000 worth of damage was caused when a large recycling bin containing newspapers caught fire.

Investigations into the cause of the blaze are ongoing but early indications from the fire service are that it was started deliberately.

The intensity of the fire melted a PVC door, cracked several windows, caused structural damage and set a gas pipe alight which had to be capped by emergency gas engineers.

Leaders have been forced to close the hut to 107 Scouts, Cubs and Beavers that use the facility for at least a week to allow essential repairs to take place.

Group Scout leader Alan Jones said the organisation had suffered a steep rise in vandalism over recent months.

"We are wondering whether somebody has a vendetta against us," said 53-year-old Mr Jones.

"May be it is because we are an easy target but out Penuel Scout camp in Victoria has also been targeted quite a lot over recent months with windows being jemmied open and fences being torn down.

"It seems to me that we are throwing good money after bad with all the vandalism going on. Money which should be going to improve the premises and Scouting is being used up in damage limitation."

Mr Jones said: "We often have sleepovers in the hut - perhaps once a month - and if we had children in the hut on Sunday night there could have been major problems.

"We can't afford to have a recycling bin anywhere near our premises again which is a great shame because it was not only used by us but by the whole community as well. It is a major blow.

"We are just fortunate the bin had just been emptied." Sergeant Jonathan Woods, of Ebbw Vale police station, said: "Enquiries are ongoing at the moment into the cause of the fire."