The latest victim of a cottage break-in in rural New Brunswick is furious police can't do more to stop the vandals from trashing country camps.

The Fredericton-area man says his camp, near the village of Stanley, was ransacked recently, causing thousands of dollars of damage. Bill Bird says he couldn't believe the mess when he checked the place last week. "The camp had been broken into and everything in it was broken up, the cupboards, chairs and every pane of glass."

Bird estimates it will cost $4,000 to repair the damage, and the vandals also stole a chainsaw worth about $700. Bird says it's the first time his camp has been trashed, although there have been break-in attempts in the past.

He's disappointed and discouraged by what happened. "I'm up to retirement age, and I intended to use the camp some to cut some stuff and work the wood lot a little bit. It's very discouraging because I feel if they don't get caught, I'm just going to get it fixed again, and the same thing is going to happen all over again."

But Blackville RCMP Staff Sgt. Paul Brown says this kind of crime is common in the fall, and it's often difficult to catch those responsible because of a lack of eyewitnesses. He says police can only work with the evidence at the crime scene, which often isn't enough to lead to criminal charges.

Brown says there were more than 30 reported break-ins in the Miramichi district last year. "People, I guess, surmise those locations are vacant, and … quite often what we see are people searching for liquor, fire arms and items of value such as TVs and stereos."

Crime Stoppers is offering a $500 reward to anyone with information about the break-in at Bird's camp.