Brazen thieves have targeted an arts centre for the third time causing thousands of pounds of damage.

Two men were captured on CCTV smashing their way into the Nucleus base in Military Road, Chatham, with a beer barrel.

They then walked away but returned to raid the till and snatch bottles of champagne.

In the last 18 months Nucleus’s other premises in Rochester High Street and Chatham High Street have been hit by raiders leaving a trail of destruction.

In some incidents art work by students, who take advantage of the discount open studio space, has been destroyed.

The string of break-ins has left staff, who man the centres, in despair and frightened.

Dalia Halpern-Matthews, whose late father Hilary Halpern set up the Nucleus Foundation, said: “Why us and why us again?

“We just want to get on with what we do as a charity and not to be continually firefighting. It is very frustrating.”

The burglaries have cost the Nucleus foundation tens of thousands of pounds in extensive repairs and upgrading security measures.

Mrs Halpern-Matthews, who has taken over at the helm of the organisation, said: “The cost of repairs is drastically more than what they have taken.

“Each time our insurance premium goes up. We have good CCTV but even that has been damaged at our Chatham High Street premises.”

She said on the most recent occasion, on Monday, December 19, the cameras showed two men in their 30s wearing hoodies and three quarter length coats walk to the outside at about 6am, pick up a beer barrel further up and then make three attempts before finally smashing the double laminated door.

Mrs Halpern-Matthews added: “They were quite brazen about it. It’s almost as if they wanted to be caught. There has been some suggestion that they might want to spend Christmas in prison where they would get fed and be in the warm.”

Anyone with information is urged to call 01634 792209 quoting reference XY/50952/16.

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.