Eerie pictures show the inside an "apocalyptic" shopping centre that was "left to rot" after vandals tried to burn it to the ground.
Arran Mall in Ayr town centre, on the southwest coast of Scotland, was once the main attraction for the high street’s shoppers.
But now locals fear that the place might continue to attract thugs, and even be burned to the ground, as they branded it "left to rot" and “finished”.
Recently, vandals set fire to empty units within the shopping centre, one local claimed, and they poured paint on her stored belongings.
Residents have been left fearing that they may return and try to set fire to the place again, but this time succeed.
They shattered windows to break in and wreaked havoc at the site in a two-night spree this week.
Pictures from the shopping centre show an eerily abandoned mall with the floors of empty shops covered in shattered glass and debris.
Shop fronts are boarded up and weeds are growing along the walkways that were once busy with shoppers.
What glass hasn’t been shattered is often covered in graffiti and junk and rubbish, including an abandoned sofa, litter the main throughfare.
Cops confirmed that yobs torched a bin before fire crews were able to extinguish flames.
Cafe owner Rachel Munro, who recently appeared on BBC show, Gordon Ramsay's Future Food Stars, has a storage unit inside the Arran Mall.
She’s warned the centre is “finished” after being “left to rot.”
On Monday night, Rachel went to collect items before noticing the horrendous damage to her unit.
She had just been hoping to pick up some baking products but was left shell-shocked by what she found, and said vandals tried to torch empty shops before breaking into hers.
The vandals poured paint over her little baby girl’s things and spray painted the walls.
They even stole one of her bikes and destroyed another, before leaving it damaged out the back.
Rachel told AyrshireLive: “I am absolutely raging at this.
“I just nipped across the road to get some baking stuff and there were police everywhere.
“I couldn’t believe the state of the place it was like something out of Dawn of the Dead, it looked apocalyptic.
“They had just completely trashed my storage unit, stuff was flung everywhere. It’s not just things for my business, there is family stuff in there too. It was all over the place.
“They poured paint over my little girl's baby stuff, they spray painted their names all over the unit too.
“One of my bikes has been stolen, the other one was lying out the back completely buckled.
“The whole place has gone to s***, it has just been left to rot. The Arran Mall is finished now there is no way they can salvage it.”
This all comes as the shopping centre's last remaining business shut up shop this week, with Designer Rooms clearing all their stock out by Wednesday.
They were forced to abandon the centre because it’s “no longer safe”.
Manager Caitlin Campbelll said: “We’ve had to just get out of here. It’s not safe for customers. There is glass everywhere.
“We moved in here 13 years ago, it was our first ever store. It’s so sad it had to end like this.
“The place has a lot of sentiment to us. It used to be full of amazing independent traders but they’ve all been forced out.
“It used to be a nice place to come but its not very nice now. It’s such a shame.”
But police have promised to carry out extra patrols in the area following the shocking incidents.
Chief Inspector Kevin Lammie said: “We received reports of youth anti-social behaviour including a bin being set on fire and damage to a premises within Arran Mall, Alloway Street, Ayr, on Monday, 15 May.
“The fire was extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and there were no reports of any injuries.
“Officers are working with owners and local partners to ensure the security of the premises and enquiries are ongoing.
“Officers will be carrying out additional patrols in the area.”
