Just days before its official opening, the new Vaughan Creek Covered Bridge in St. Martins has been vandalised.

Mayor Bette Ann Chatterton said graffiti was painted on the inside of the walkway on Monday night.

Chatterton said her daughter-in-law noticed the vandalism around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and reported it.

“She takes her dog for a walk every morning early and she walked through the bridge to go down and walk him along the beach,” Chatterton said in an interview on Tuesday.

Chatterton made a post on the village’s Facebook page expressing her sadness about the damage. By mid-afternoon Tuesday, the post had been shared more than 40 times, with many expressing similar sentiments.

According to the mayor, similar graffiti has also been reported at the local ballfield over the past month or so.

“This time, I did report it to the RCMP and we will be looking into it and see if we can find out who thinks this might be a fun thing to do because it really isn’t,” she said.

Chatterton said the vandalism is even more disappointing since the bridge does not officially open until Thursday.

The former bridge at the site, which was constructed in 1935, was closed in 2017 after being deemed unsafe for vehicle traffic. A temporary single-lane modular bridge was installed to maintain access through to the sea caves and the Fundy Trail.

Chatterton said the village will be looking to set up more security cameras in light of the recent vandalism.

She also encouraged residents and visitors to report any suspicious activity to the RCMP.