UP TO £3,000 of damage was caused when a Scout hut burned to the ground.

A special hand-crafted skittle set and photo archives spanning back more than 20 years, were among the "irreplaceable" valuables lost when fire tore through the small den next to Holy Trinity Church Hall, Hurst Road, Sidcup.

Now, leader Brian Anderson, of the Trigon Explorer Scout Group, attached to the fourth Holy Trinity Scout Group, has vowed to restore the hut to its former glory.

Mr Anderson was the last known person to enter the property and it is not known how the fire started.

The hut has been used as a Scouts meeting place on Wednesdays and Fridays for more than 20 years.

Mr Anderson, who has been with the group for the past 25 years, was on a New Year's Day walk with the Scouts when he received news the den was on fire.

He said: "It's very sad. That den had many memories and valuables which are irreplaceable, including all of our photo archives of our trips and events.

"I'm hoping our insurance will be adequate to cover the damage, which must be in the region of around £2,000 to £3,000. But we'll build it back whatever it takes, even if we have to raise the money ourselves."

The fire also destroyed much of the group's resource material towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards, as well as all their mapping equipment.

The Scouts will meet at the adjacent church hall building until further notice.

Firefighters from Sidcup and Eltham were called to the scene on January 1 after the fire started at around 12.30pm.

Fire investigators confirmed the incident was being treated as accidental and nobody was injured.

The hut was donated to the group when the Bexleyheath Broadway shopping centre was built on the site where it originally stood.