The victims believe it could be animal rights activists.

Intruders broke into Charles Diplock Animal Casualty and Cremation services in Ringmer and attacked four vans. Slogans were daubed on walls and vehicle windscreens.

Staff at the Bishops Lane business felt the vandalism was completely unjustified. They said they provided an essential service to animal sanctuaries and farms across the county.

Robin Beech, a partner at Charles Diplock said: 'We really don't deserve this.

'They threw paint stripper and paint over all four vehicles and slashed all of the tyres.

'They also painted the word "Scum" in massive red paint, which to us seems like something animal rights people would do.

'We've been here for nearly 100 years, we work with farmers, stables, vets and animal sanctuaries to do an important and necessary job.

'This is the first time anything like this has happened.'

Mr Beech said the vandalism had led to animals suffering because staff were not able to respond to some emergency calls as vehicles were out of action.

He added: 'Four cows, six sheep, and a horse needed our attention to save them from further pain but had to wait 16 hours in agony because we had no vehicles to reach them.'

Nigel Mason, general manager at Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, said the centre had used Diplock's services for a number of years.

He said: 'What has happened does seem to be misguided.

'They provide a necessary service, we use them to take away our horses.

'It's something nobody likes to think about but large animals have to be disposed of because of regulations.

'We don't use them for putting animals down, but generally it happens when animal has come to the end of its life or is severely injured.'