Vandals attack a new South Shields art gallery just days before it was due to open

Vandals broke into The Market Gallery, a new community art space in South Shields, just days before its scheduled opening on July 31. Artists Laura Robertson and Theodore Godfrey-Cass had transformed a former Wilko store into studios and exhibition space with support from East Street Arts. The intruders graffitied walls, smashed glass, destroyed equipment, stole artwork, and urinated on remaining pieces, causing extensive damage after six months of preparation.