Bumblebee hives have been destroyed by vandals at an Angus fruit farm.

As well as the bee nests, polytunnels have been slashed, ripped and trampled on.

Police are now investigating the vandalism, which happened on Saturday night at East Seaton Farm in Arbroath.

Farm manager Allen Innes posted pictures of the destruction - which he estimates will cost thousands of pounds - on social media.

He believes those who caused the damage were on their way to nearby Seaton Den.

The farm has been targeted before, when tyres were slashed on 180 soft fruit trolleys and eight large trailers in 2013.

Security has now been ramped up on the estate, with Mr Innes apologising that the extra fencing will affect general access and dog walkers.

He stated: "Thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused on Saturday evening.

"Bumblebee hives trashed, tunnels slashed, ripped and been climbed all over. We have been getting a little bit of damage most days now.

"Due to this we are going to have to increase security, erect fencing in hotspots.

"This will affect general public access and dog walkers. We apologise for this, however we must take steps to protect our business.

"We will be asking people to not walk in certain areas and know this will cause problems but hopefully people will understand."

Police believe those involved in the vandalism are also linked to a nearby fire-raising incident.

A force spokesman said: "We are currently investigating a number of incidents of vandalism at East Seaton Farm in Arbroath which happened over the weekend, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.

"We are also investigating an incident of fire-raising nearby which is thought to be linked.

"A number of polytunnels, which are expensive and time-consuming to construct and maintain, were damaged, and a number of beehives sited within them were badly damaged or destroyed.

"If anyone you know has been seen on Saturday or Sunday possibly with berry-stained clothing, smelling of smoke, or even with a few beestings, there is a very good chance they are involved and we would like to hear from you."

Anyone who can help the police with their investigation can call 101.