HEARTBROKEN children were left in tears after discovering yobs set fire to their beloved £1m playpark.

Knockhill Park in Renfrew, which was revamped thanks to a grant by the Big Lottery Fund in August this year, was targeted in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Police are scouring CCTV to investigate the callous incident which saw a wheely bin set alight in the park, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Maggie Laird, chairwoman of the Friends of Knockhill Park group who campaigned for the opening of the playpark, said she has been left “disgusted” by the culprits.

“It’s sickening,” she fumed. “We have worked so hard for more than five years to see it come to fruition, now all that hard work has been destroyed.

“There are local nurseries and groups who use the park every week and children were left in tears after they found out about it.

“The park’s only been opened for a year now and the idea behind it was to regenerate the area as over the years the park had deteriorated.

“We had never even dreamed we would get the funding, and now all the tireless work has been destroyed because of vandals.”

Thousands of pounds worth of damage have been caused to the toddler section of the park, with the soft play area now entirely out of use.

The damage means children from local nurseries and the nearby Cherrie Centre have nowhere to enjoy their usual activities.

Moorpark mum Angela McBready said: “When something like this happens everyone rallies together.

“It’s sickening to think who would do this and spoil all the hard work and fun for children in Renfrew.

“Part of me thinks this was caused by someone who doesn’t live here because everyone in the area knows someone who uses the park.

“I hope they catch whoever done this soon and somehow we can do something to fix this.”

Prior to the park’s renovation, Knockhill had been turned into a no-go zone with vandals dumping rubbish, starting fires and ripping up play equipment.

But members of the Friends of Knockhill Park group worked for more than five years to find cash to transform the area.

Councillor Cathy McEwan, who represents the Renfrew South and Gallowhill area, said: “It’s terrible that this has happened.

“The park was looking fantastic thanks to the £1m grant from the Lottery Fund, now it’s been destroyed.

“Local residents worked tirelessly to put everything into place for years. I hope there’s some way to fix this.”