A boat owner returned from a beer festival to find vandals had ransacked his cruiser, stealing his generator and leaving a disgusting mess in his toilet.

Philip Tucker, who was left stranded due to the damage, says something needs to be done to protect owners and stop the town from becoming a no-go area.

The 56-year-old had moored up on the River Medway near Earl Street in Maidstone on September 7 while he attended the festival in East Malling and had intended to sleep onboard that night.

But when he returned at 8.30pm he discovered many items had been stolen including his generator, a control panel and his toolbox. Other parts had been damaged.

He tried to move his boat, Lynsilva, but it broke down. The precision engineer, who had spent hundreds of hours renovating the vessel, said: “They got in the cabin and vandalised my computer system and my clock and they used my toilet and didn’t flush it.

“I was in the middle of the river, adrift, without any means to go anywhere. People nearby helped me get tied up and then left me there to stay the night – it was quite difficult.”

He estimates the damage at around £800 and has had to buy a new generator despite the previous one being brand new.

Philip said: “If no one can park their boat in the town centre without expecting it to get vandalised or stolen from then this thing needs dealing with on some level. Certainly, I can’t moor up in Maidstone without CCTV and an alarm system. It’s not right, something needs to be done.”

When Philip called the police at around 9.40pm he says he was told a patrol would be sent so decided to stay with the boat. However, when he called again for an update at around 12.15am he was informed nobody would be coming as the force was extremely busy.

While he understood the police had closed the case, and that he would be receiving a letter to that effect, a spokesman for the force told KentOnline the investigation was ongoing.

A spokesman said: “The incident is alleged to have happened at an unknown time earlier that day, before the boat left had the location and it was discovered a theft had taken place.

“Officers continue to engage with the victim to progress all available lines of enquiry.”

Anyone with information which may assist the investigation, should contact the west Kent appeals line, on 01622 604100, quoting reference 46/152824/24.