TWO specially-carved stone panels, feared to be vandalised beyond repair, have been restored

The stones were created by children as part of an art project, called Sea Life, at the Burngate Stone Carving Centre, near Swanage,

A number stones had been prepared with the crest of a wave, then placed next to one another to evoke the rolling waters.

Last month students were shocked to discover two of them had been deliberately smashed over.

Pupils from The Swanage School and local artists Carlotta Barrow have worked hard on the project.

Staff at the centre, near Swanage, say both stones were kicked over and smashed over successive nights last month.

Initially it was feared they'd been damaged beyond repair, but now the centre's stonemason has been able to fix them.

In the aftermath of the attack, a statement from the centre said: "The Burngate Team would like to thank everybody for their comments and offers of support.

"At the moment we are assessing whether or not the damaged stones can be fixed and reset satisfactorily.

"If so, we feel that would be the best option whilst maintaining the authenticity of the original work by the children.

"If not it would mean creating two new stones from scratch which we know would cost at least £500 each and would detract from the original concept and heart of the project.

"We would really appreciate people's thoughts on this.

"In the meantime one of our trustees has offered a £100 reward for any information supplied to the police which results in a successful prosecution."

Two members of the public have also offered reward money, and various offers of support have come via social media.

Centre fundraiser Kate Cross said: "Our stonemason has been able to fix the original stones back together, and although he has done a great job, the scars will always be visible.

"He has also now backed up all the stones with concrete blocks to help prevent this happening in the future.

"The repairs including time and material will cost close to £300."

One of the stones was vandalised on Sunday, July 22, with the second damaged on Monday, July 23.