PART of Hampshire's heritage is going up in smoke.

The British Military Powerboat Trust has begun to destroy some of its priceless collection of historic craft, some of which were built during the Second World War.

As reported in the Daily Echo, the conservationists have been given until September to vacate their site at Cracknore Hard, Marchwood.

The trust is planning to move six of its 12 boats to a new facility at Poole. Another four have been found other homes, but the other two will be broken up and thrown on the bonfire.

One of the craft, a 43ft launch built in the early 1950s, is already being taken apart.

Les Feltham is using an axe and a chainsaw to destroy the boat - parts of which will be salvaged and used on a similar vessel owned by fellow enthusiast David Hayden.

Mr Feltham, of Portchester, said: "There's nowhere to put the launch and the cost of keeping her in storage would be prohibitive.

"Breaking her up is soul-destroying but we'll take the engines out and put them in the other boat if they're all right. The steering gear has already been swapped over and we're thinking of using a couple of the windows as well."

Trust spokesman Richard Hellyer said: "It's sad to see the launch being broken up, but another boat will live longer as a result."

The other craft in danger of being destroyed is a 64ft high-speed launch built by the former British Powerboat Company at Hythe.

New Forest East MP Dr Julian Lewis, whose interests include military history, reacted angrily to the news that some of the boats were having to be destroyed.

He again accused the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) of not doing enough to help the trust find a new home.

"I can only hope that most of the historic boats will survive and grace maritime events for many years to come," he said.

The trust's workshops at the old Husband's Shipyard will be closed this summer.