In the widespread orgy of violence which accompanied the taking of Basra by British troops on Tuesday, the city's university was soon overrun.

Computers, air conditioning units and furniture were all carted off before mobs set fire to large parts of the campus.

"The British are to blame. They allowed the people to come in and did not stop them," said the dean.

"They stole everything and then they poured petrol and set it alight."

The university has been closed since the start of the US-led campaign to topple Saddam Hussein and is now unlikely to open again this academic year.

The looting was a sour reminder of the events of 12 years ago when civilians in Basra rose up against Saddam at the end of the last Gulf War before their revolt was brutally crushed.

"We had something like this in the 90s but this time it's like a typhoon," said Mahmud al-Habib, an 81-year-old economics professor, who has taught at the university since it opened in 1964.

"It's a disaster. I have seen the university born, so for me it's the end of the world. Heartbreaking."

Al-Habib, who previously taught in Texas, also castigated the British for standing idle.

"They did not make any effort for the first few days. They did not move until too late."

British military spokesmen said in the immediate aftermath of the looting that they were hamstrung to prevent it as they were still conducting combat operations.

They have since moved tanks outside key buildings such as the city's main hospital and banks. There were no British soldiers on show outside the university on Sunday.

Barak Jawad, a lecturer in common law, said the mob who had targeted the university should be regarded as common criminals rather than forgiven as opponents of Saddam who were venting pent-up anger.

"Look, here is still a picture of Saddam," he said, pointing to a large poster of the dictator attached to a lamppost on the campus.

"The statue of Saddam outside is still there, no one has touched it. Bush said the actions of the Iraqi people are normal after years of severe barbarism but it's not normal.

"This is nothing to do with politics, these are just thieves," said Jawad.

Habib said that the damage would not deter the academics from returning to their jobs even if they were not paid for many months.

"I'm a soldier, not of the gun but with the pen," he said.

Little of the university appeared to have escaped the attentions of the mob. A lecture theatre which once held around 200 students had seen most of its seats ripped out as well as all the light fittings and air conditioning system.

Slides and film reel could be seen scattered among the broken glass on the floor.

Jawad said that the damage would have been far worse but he praised the British for preventing the library from being looted.

SPACE.WIRE