NEWHAILES House bosses have slammed two youths after they broke into a snack van on the premises.

A post on the Musselburgh attraction’s Facebook page highlighted they were “disappointed” after the Doocot Diner was broken into at about 3.40pm on Monday, November 2.

According to the post on social media: “Although the two youths were disturbed, they ran off before we could call the police.

“We have good photographic and video evidence, which we will post as soon as Police Scotland have authorised us to (unless they catch them first).

“We have absolutely no doubt that the two will be identified and caught.

“It’s been a long year for us all and when we are facing a tough few years, it’s sad that people have chosen to steal from a charity.

“Thank you to Police Scotland for their attendance.”

The Palladian mansion, in the west of the town, was once home to the influential Dalrymple family, who gave the house its rococo interiors and collections of paintings, ceramics and furniture, along with the significant 18th-century designed landscape.

In the mid-1700s, Sir David Dalrymple built a library wing to hold his vast collection of 7,000 books, pamphlets, broadsheets, prints, maps and music books.

The venue, managed and maintained by the National Trust for Scotland, sits in 34 hectares of historic landscape.

Police confirmed enquiries into the incident were ongoing and anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101.