Volunteers who have given up their time to refurbish Falmouth’s seafront shelters have been left “angry and disappointed” after a newly painted bench was stolen overnight on Saturday.

During the afternoon the bench was a popular vantage point from where to watch the Red Arrows, but only hours later it had been stolen.

Rosemary Riddette-Gregory said: “Our new group, Friends of Falmouth Bay, have been working tirelessly over the last few weeks to smarten up Falmouth seafront ready for the Red Arrows’ visit.

“We particularly worked on renovating the seafront shelter near Castle Beach and by 3pm on Saturday it was looking grand.

“Imagine our anger and disappointment when we found on Sunday morning that one of the newly painted benches had been stolen. It was one of the last remaining original wooden benches, dating from the 20s or 30s, and had been painted in lime green.”

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing bench is asked to call the Friends on 07989 979683 or post its location on their Facebook page.