Vandals wreak havoc in village parks

VANDALS have left a trail of destruction across public parks in Barwell over the weekend.

Broken glass was scattered across the skateboard park near the recycling centre, while obscene scrawlings were daubed across play equipment and the substation in Dovecote Park.

The mindless damage has incensed community representatives, left to deal with the aftermath.

Borough and parish councillor Russ Roberts was alerted on Monday morning, later posting a series of photographs on Facebook.

He said: “Today a senseless and absolutely disgraceful graffiti attack on the children’s play equipment in Dovecote Park had to be dealt with this morning. One of several incidents that had to be dealt with after the last weekend.

“Another was broken glass on the skateboard park which could have been a serious issue to anyone foolish enough to try and use it. The skateboard park is a great asset to the village not only to the youngsters of the village but to people visiting from far and wide.”

He added: “We’ve been lucky previously as far as graffiti goes, however, this incident was pretty bad in terms of the amount. It pretty much covered the whole play park plus the sub station and some on the football pavilion.

“Also the size and content was unbelievable. I think we were lucky it was cold and damp so the paint hadn’t gone off properly making it easier to remove.

“We generally don’t have too many graffiti problems but every now and again someone has to prove they are the exception.”

Barwell Parish Council is responsible for the upkeep of the village’s parks and open spaces. Groundsmen were sent out to clear away the graffiti and ensure all glass shards were removed.

The village has been blighted by anti-social behaviour, including ongoing problems at the so-called Tip Park off Stapleton Lane, where raiders targeting the recycling centre often dump items they have stolen.