Vandals wreck same playground equipment three times in 18 months

Wrecked: Cllrs Pauline Markham and Kevin Osborne with the damaged playground equipment

VANDALS have struck for the third time in 18 months at a well-used children’s play area, targeting the same equipment and leaving a bill for damage of £3,500 for the latest incident alone.

It means that - at today’s prices - the full cost of their attacks would be into five figures, and councillors who represent the area accept they will now have to work with parks staff to try to find a less-vulnerable alternative.

The arson attack happened at the Bly Road playground, in Darfield, which is known locally as the ‘Longbow field’ because of its proximity to the former pub of the same name.

It appears those responsible started a fire on the ground beneath a swing, which featured a tyre-like ‘donut’, with a net flooring, suspended from one large arm.

The fire destroyed the seat, which swung from the arm, and also wrecked the soft ground covering beneath it.

Now Darfield’s three councillors, Kevin Osborne, Trevor Smith and Pauline Markham, want to find a solution which will still allow visiting children to have fun, while preventing vandals from destroying it.

Cllr Osborne said: “I have always been of the opinion that a variety of play equipment works. Anything which increases children’s activity has to be a good thing, but it needs to be robust enough so the vandals don’t win.

“After three times in 18 months, enough is enough. Hopefully we can get something which is just as much fun,” he said.

The attacks had been “disheartening”, he added.