Equipment at Brigg Recreation Ground has been damaged by vandals.
Brigg Town Cricket Club, which has worked so hard to return the summer sport to the Rec after several years spent playing on guest grounds, has suffered damage to its covers - ironically used to protect the playing square!
But this is not an isolated incident, as demonstrated by the update that follows from North Lincolnshire Council, which has invested heavily in new facilities at The Rec and elsewhere.
There's a comment from Brigg's Coun Rob Waltham, stressing that vandalism will not be tolerated and urging members of the public to report any incidents they see to the police.
Mindless vandalism of your parks leaves £20,000 bill
FROM CHRIS O'ROURKE, NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL
Council leader, Cllr Rob Waltham, takes a zero tolerance stance on vandalism after vandals have caused over £20,000 worth of damage to play equipment and playground areas in North Lincolnshire.
Damage to parks in Scunthorpe and Barton over the past few months has included broken and burnt play equipment, ripped-up flooring and graffiti.
Vandals have targeted some of our most popular parks, affecting hundreds of children and families who want to play, especially if we have to close part or all of the park for residents’ safety.
Cllr Rob Waltham, Leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said, “The damage done to parks and playgrounds is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
If we have to replace play equipment after vandals have damaged it, we often need to order it directly from the manufacturer. This could leave families in North Lincolnshire without working play equipment in their local park for weeks on end.
In Scunthorpe, we have had to replace the playground safety surface in Manor Park three times in the past month, following repeated vandalism. In Enderby Road Park, newly installed play equipment was repeatedly vandalised and then set on fire.
Cllr Waltham continued: “Completely senseless vandalism is not only depriving children of working play equipment and safe spaces to play, it’s wasting taxpayers’ money that would be better spend on other things.
“With the summer holidays approaching, we are working hard to ensure our parks are up to scratch for families to enjoy over the break. If your local park has been the victim of vandals, please bear with us while we repair this needless damage.”
If you witness playground vandalism in North Lincolnshire, please report it to Humberside Police through their website or by calling 101.
