New mural tagged in break-in

A first aid kit was needed for onthe-job repairs after vandals cut themselves when breaking into the Upper Hutt Art Society club rooms.

The art society and the adjacent Heretaunga Players’ Studio at Miro St Park, Wallaceville were broken into and tagged overnight on November 7.

‘‘They smashed a window to get in and someone must have got cut climbing in because there were blood drops on the floor and cupboard doors,’’ club president Elissa Smith said.

‘‘They found our first aid kit and used some plasters, that had blood on it too.’’

Police attended soon after Smith’s mid-morning discovery of the break in and took blood samples and dusted for fingerprints.

The main door of Heretaunga Players Studio was smashed in for entry. While nothing was stolen or damaged, both community buildings were tagged on several outside walls. One of two large murals on the Art Society’s frontage was also marked.

‘‘We’ve only had them in place for a few weeks so it’s disappointing. I guess it’s lucky that we spent some extra money on anti-graffiti coating so we will see how that goes.

Smith wanted to acknowledge help she received from two Heretaunga College girls

‘‘They were walking in the park past the building when I poked my head out the broken window. I asked if they had seen anything.

‘‘They hadn’t but they offered to help and came inside. They got a brush and pan and tidied up the glass as I was checking the building out and then calling the police.’’

The art society unveiled the murals for its 60th birthday on October 14.