POLICE have questioned a 12-year-old boy after the window of a popular cafe at the heart of a revamped park in Southampton was smashed.

Staff at the ParkLife Cafe in St James' Park, Shirley, were forced to replace one of their windows last week after an object struck it and shattered the outside glass panelling.

The cafe and community room, run by community interest company ParkLife, forms part of the park's flagship £1.5million Heritage Lottery facelift, completed in June 2011, and spearheaded by the Friends of St James Park (FoSJP) group to rejuvenate the area and foster community cohesion.

The building was a former World War II air raid wardens' post and has proved a haven for families and residents using the beautifully landscaped gardens, play grounds and tennis courts.

Manager Paul Salmon, who was unable to fully open for business for nearly two hours until window fitters removed the damage panel, said: “We are here for the community and when damage is done you feel let down as it's not just harming us it affects the whole community.”

But he stressed it was the first attack since the cafe opened and added: “We are not going to dwell on it - it's an isolated incident - we've got to clear up and keep going.”