Over the past two weeks there have been several incidents of vandalism in the Castle Gardens and the sports courts and playgrounds in the Bull Croft. We are very saddened to see any such incidents which renders children’s play equipment unsafe, costs the Town Council time and money to rectify, and which damages our historic assets. Unfortunately, it is now clear that these are not occasional, random, acts, but are being carried out by an irresponsible minority of people night after night.
The incidents have all be reported to the police. I have also written to the Police and Crime Commissioner expressing concern about the apparent rise in petty crime in the Town and asking for support for a more visible police presence to deter anti-social behaviour.
As a result of the ongoing vandalism, and with the winter nights closing in, for the foreseeable future the play areas and courts in the Bull Croft will be locked from 4:15 Monday to Thursday and 3:45 on Fridays until 8:15 the following day. Including weekends.
We regret that this will further limit recreational activities for young children at an already difficult time, but see little alternative until we can be confident that we can prevent further damage to the play areas. We continue to work with the authorities to resolve this and will keep the situation under review.
