Thieves have disrupted a programme designed to help Bermuda's youth learn a "universal craft''.

Pottery instructor Ms Frances Eddy -- who with her mother this month was holding an introductory pottery course at Bermuda College's Robert's Avenue campus -- this week told The Royal Gazette she has been forced to come up with an alternative project after thieves stole bricks she purchased for her class.

Ms Eddy said she took the bricks, some 120 of different sizes and colours with holes in them, to the campus on Sunday morning because her class -- of 14 students ranging in age from 10 to late twenties -- planned to begin making a kiln on Monday.

Against her better judgment she said she left the bricks covered with cardboard outside the building where the mason supplies were kept.

"I was hesitant about leaving the bricks outside,'' she said, "but the college instructor who I was with assured me that no one would walk away `so many' bricks.

But when Ms Eddy returned to the college yesterday she discovered that "someone stole everyone of them''.

"It's outrageous and whoever did this ought to be ashamed of themselves,'' she said. "This (project) was for young people to learn a skill. And now they have been deprived of that.

"It's outrageous that someone would steal from a school period.'' Ms Eddy said she noticed two people on the college property when she drove up with the bricks on Sunday. But she did not pay attention to them.

She has reported the theft to Police, but she said she held out little hope of seeing the bricks -- which cost $1 each and were not useful for anything other than a kiln -- again.

"In the future I will never consider leaving anything outside (of the college),'' she said, adding that she was later told that thefts occurred at the nearly-vacant site every weekend.

Bermuda College spokeswoman Mrs. Jan Doidge confirmed that the theft was just one of a series of brash incidents that had occurred at the property recently.

"Senseless'' vandalism had taken place at the college during the weekends prior to this week, she said. In one incident paint was sprayed on computers, and in another incident air conditioners were thrown at walls.

"Certainly the last set of breakins seem to be wanton vandalism,'' Ms Doidge said.

"What it means is that we are going to have to pay out a lot of money to ensure students have computers in the new (academic) year. We will also have to put some sort of security in place.

She noted that the area which was targetted -- the commerce and technology building -- was the only one still occupied by college students.

All of the college's students and courses will be amalgamated at the college's Stonington campus in January next year.

But until then, Mrs. Doidge said, the college would step up security at the Robert's Avenue site.

When contacted yesterday, Works Minister the Hon. Leonard Gibbons said shortly after the college vacated the property it will be turned over to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the planned National Sports Complex.

"Obviously there will be security (during the interim),'' he said. "But we need to get the Police involved. Hopefully they can catch some of these perpetrators and deal with them through the court.'' Police spokesman P.c. Gary Venning said the college theft was being investigated, but he said he did not believe the site was more of a target for thieves than "anywhere else''.

"Obviously people should take precaution at all times,'' he said, adding that people should not leave valuable items -- whether they are of financial or sentimental value -- without securing them.

Ms Eddy appealed to anyone who may have seen the bricks or may know of their whereabouts to contact her at the college on 236-9000 Ext. 387 or at home on 238-0059.