Rampant teenagers trash park
SHATTERED glass, broken roof tiles and obscenities scrawled across the floor – this is what young troublemakers are doing to their local park.
Gangs of teenagers have been rampant at Dunwood Park in Shaw for a long time, but when the sun comes out, locals say the trouble is ‘constant’.
In the past fortnight, coping stones have been ripped from the wall and thrown onto the tennis court below, the community noticeboard was smashed, roof tiles were torn off and thrown to the ground, and abusive messages were etched into the paving.
The Friends of Dunwood Park say they feel locked in a battle with yobs who show no respect for their community.
Pauline Holt is chair of the friends group, which has been running for almost 20 years.
She said: “They start congregating at around 5.30pm or 6pm, and by 8pm there could be up to 20 of them.
“It’s mainly boys, aged around 13-18, and it seems to be the younger ones that are causing the damage. It’s an endless battle.
“With this particular group of youths it’s been bad for around a month, since we’ve had nice weather.
“They seem to move around, it’s like a cycle. For three or four months we can have no trouble, then we get three or four weeks when it’s sunny and it’s constant.
“They do things like take wheelie bins from the cafe and set fire to them and climb onto the roof and throw tiles off.
“The council come round at dusk to lock the gates, and they seem to know when they’re coming because they’ll disappear then come back.”
Over the past 20 years, the Friends of Dunwood Park have worked hard to renovate the park and restore it for the community to enjoy.
The group has also secured various grants and some cash from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help.
Pauline, 66, says that with everything they are doing to make the area better, it’s a shame to see people trying to ruin it.
She added: “We’ve tried running outreach sessions from the cafe to try and engage with the kids, and we get a good turn out, but it seems to be a different group of children.
“Sometimes when they’re there I’ll go over to them and ask what the fascination is with the park in the dark, they tell me ‘it’s better than being at home’. It really is a shame, but it’s difficult to know how to tackle it.”
Councillor Arooj Shah, Oldham Council’s cabinet member for Neighbourhood Services, said: “Vandalism like this is infuriating, especially when so many residents and staff work to make our facilities welcoming.
“Money used to repair damage like this doesn’t just cost us, it costs our residents, and it could be put to better use.
“I would people to do their bit and contact the council or the police if you see any in vandalism in your parks.
“We will take action against anyone that is found to be causing criminal damage.”
Anyone with information on the damage caused can contact the council’s Environmental Services Team on 0161 770 4067 or Greater Manchester Police on 101.