Hallowe’en vandals hit historic shelter
VANDALS have again struck in Southport’s Kings Gardens, smashing glass in one of the Victorian shelters.
Most of the windows were broken on the shelter next to Marine Lake, leaving Sefton Council facing a bill of thousands of pounds for repairs.
Council officers visited the site on Wednesday morning and were faced with a large clean-up operation because of the damage.
The vandalism took place on Hallowe’en, a day after similar damage had been caused at the side of the Atkinson Theatre on Lord Street, when two glass panels were smashed at the front of the building.
Kings Gardens has repeatedly been hit in recent years, with significant damage caused on a number of occasions.
Last November, vandals smashed another of the shelters and sprayed it with graffiti.
Weeks earlier, security guards from nearby Pleasureland had stopped a group from starting a fire in the gardens.
In September 2016, a section of concrete wall and ornamental railings along the Marine Lake perimeter were broken and knocked over, again causing significant damage.
Pleasureland and Lakeside Miniature Railway (LMR) have also been repeated targets for vandals, who have started fires and damaged property at the theme park.
In May this year, an LMR train packed with families enjoying the ride was derailed after a plank of wood and large stone were placed on the track - just weeks after the attraction was reopened following a large investment.
Merseyside police have previously increased patrols in the area to response to these incidents, only for a similar attack to now strike again at the gardens.
One resident said of the latest incident: “I don’t know what they get out of it - it’s absolutely mindless. They need some real punishment.”
A police spokesman said “Merseyside Police is appealing for information after a Victorian shelter in Kings Gardens, Southport was damaged by vandals on Tuesday.
“A report was received at around 10am today (Wednesday, November 17) that 12 of 16 windows in the shelter had been broken.
“It is believed the windows were damaged some time between 5pm on Tuesday and 7am on Wednesday.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting crime reference number 0517278776 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”