An artist has said he was "in a way, not upset" that a piece of art he created on a beach was vandalised as he had wanted to see how people would react.

Adam Bridgland, who lives in Lode, between Cambridge and Newmarket, had created the wooden sign bearing the words "You are sea glass," and installed it by some drift wood on Southwold beach.

However, on Thursday, the artwork was found lying in pieces by the drift wood after apparently being attacked by vandals.

READ MORE: Karen SJ Keable to unveil new paintings at Southwold Gallery

Mr Bridgland said he had created the sign as his "homage to Southwold" as he was a regular visitor to the town when his grandparents lived in nearby Reydon and has continued coming back after they left the area.

He added: "The coastline there has something special about it and so when I went up one half term last year, I thought 'I am going to install a sign because I have done various ones around the countryside. They are always temporary."

So he travelled to Southwold at 6am one Tuesday morning to install the artwork.

Artist Adam Bridgland created You are sea glass to help people appreciate that they are preciousArtist Adam Bridgland created 'You are sea glass' to help people appreciate that they are precious (Image: Adam Bridgland Instagram) "The statement was 'You are sea glass,' meaning hard to find, lucky to have. That was the sentiment, which is that it is very, very precious.

READ MORE: Artist gets first solo exhibition at Framlingham Library

"I put photos of it on my Instagram page as my homage to Southwold, but it was interesting how polarised it became.

"The more forward-thinking people loved it, but there was a backlash perhaps from the more 'traditional' people," Mr Bridgland said.

He said he had not experienced this reaction from other projects he had been involved in, which included creating a sign that stood at Felixstowe Ferry for four years, bearing the words "Upon every wave, our wellbeing rides".

READ MORE: Southwold news

He creates the artworks in a uniform style so the signs are recognisable as his work and he uses a computer numerical control machine to create the lettering.

He said he wanted his art to sit well within the landscape, while being able to capture people's attention.

"In a way, I am not upset about the vandalism. I just put it up as a piece of art. I just wanted to see whether people would react.

"The thing that surprised me was how polarised Southwold was in its reaction to it," Mr Bridgland said.