THE future of a vandal-hit Victorian sun shelter hangs in the balance.

The Cinder Path shelter, on Old Leigh seafront, has suffered structural damage and been fenced off for safety reasons.

Southend Council is now deciding whether to repair it after repeated attacks, a Leigh Town Council meeting heard.

Paul Beckerson, town council clerk, said: “The problem is it was allowed to deteriorate too much and then you get the ‘broken window syndrome’ where everyone has a go at it.

“It’s the same post that’s been damaged and, if you don’t have perspex in the panels, it makes the structure weaker and people can kick it and it makes it worse from a construction point of view.”

Town councillor Carole Mulroney said: “We’re still waiting to hear from Southend Council because it is responsible for the actual structure.

“We’ve had to secure it because it’s very dangerous and we’ve had to look at what to do to go forward but, until we know Southend’s decision, we don’t know what our options are.

“It’s the last shelter we have and, personally, I would hate to see something like that go, because it’s a part of our history.”

Councillor Jane Ward suggested the council could find a way to incorporate the shelter into Leigh Sailing Club’s neighbourhood watch patrol, but also said feedback from residents would be necessary.

She said: “It’s so vulnerable because of where it is and, while I know people are very appreciative of it and said they don’t want it go, there may come a time when they no longer feel that way.”

A Southend Council spokesman said: “The council does not own this land, but we are looking into maintenance