VANDALS have caused hundreds of pounds of damage to one of Minehead's most important and historic houses in at least 17 separate attacks in less than a year. Windows have been smashed in 18th century Townsend House on an almost monthly basis. And with each pane of glass in the Georgian windows costing around £55 to replace, the charitable trust which runs the community centre and exhibition venue has now launched a desperate appeal for public help to catch the culprits and stop the vandalism. The house, which was bought by West Somerset Council for the community 20 years ago, is run by a small group of volunteers. By last August, they had already spent £359 repairing damaged windows. Three more panes of glass were smashed in September, another in October and a further four between Christmas and New Year. The most recent attack last Friday not only left the volunteers facing yet another shattered pane but also cracked an interior wooden shutter in the grade two listed building. "I almost dread going down there now because of what I might find," house manager Wendy Johnson told the Free Press this week. At Christmas Mrs Johnson found half a brick lodged in one of the downstairs windows and then discovered the other half had been used to smash an upstairs window. "We just don't know what to do," she said. "The police are aware of the problem - in fact we have made a total of 17 reports to them about the damage. "Various methods are being investigated to catch those responsible but we want to appeal to anyone with information to contact them and also to encourage people to keep a look-out for anyone acting suspiciously." Townsend House supporters launched a £10,000 fundraising appeal last year to carry out repairs to a wall and undertake some refurbishment inside the building. But although around £3,000 has been raised so far, Mrs Johnson said the cost of repairing the ongoing damage was eating into the pot of money. "Broken panes are not covered by by the district council's insurance so it is particularly frustrating. "Our supporters have put a lot of time and effort into raising money. It is disheartening to see these hard-earned funds having to be spent on unnecessary repairs due to vandalism. "Perhaps whoever is doing this believes the house is empty." In fact, many local groups use the building on a regular basis for meetings, classes and exhibitions, while individuals can hire it for private parties and the house and gardens are also open to the public on Mondays and Wednesdays. Its upkeep is financed entirely by hiring fees, the subscriptions of the Friends of Townsend House and occasional donations. Pictured surveying the latest damage is Sue Lloyd, who does gardening at Townsend House and reported the vandalism. Photo: Steve Guscott.