HORRIFIED to hear vandals had smashed one of Shottermill Junior School’s new basketball hoops, Haslemere shop owner Angela Burt raced to the rescue.

Mrs Burt, director of long-established West Street hardware store R Miles, said: “I thought as a local business we would help, as vandalism is so wrong and we didn’t want the little ones to suffer because of it.”

She presented the replacement basketball hoop to delighted staff and pupils on Monday.

School business manager Emma Crabb said: “The staff, children and parents cannot thank Mrs Burt and R Miles enough.

“During the night of February 6, someone broke into the playground and smashed one of our brand new basketball posts, which was bought with the hard-earned money raised by last year’s year six children through their business enterprise project.

“They were so upset as they were so excited to have new posts. We are all thrilled by Mrs Burt’s gift.”