'Mindless' vandals 'completely destroy' Winsford play area

People living near the Basford Way park, which is provided to the by the Weaver Vale Housing Trust (WVHT), were dismayed to find the equipment damaged.

Rubber impact material, used to make the park safer for children, has been damaged while playground equipment has been burned and litter has been strewn everywhere.

Cleaning up the park and restoring to its previous state will set the trust back thousands of pounds in labour and equipment repair costs.

A WVHT spokesman said 'mindless vandalism' such as this makes the area unsafe for small children to play in, especially during the summer holidays when the parks are used more frequently.

Now the trust's Open Space team is appealing for those few members the community causing such damage not to vandalise public spaces.

Basford Way play area (Google)

A spokesman for the Open Space team said: "We work hard to keep our parks and open spaces maintained to a good standard for all to enjoy, the damage caused by this vandalism is very disappointing to see.

"The individuals that are taking part in this kind of behaviour aren’t considering the impacts they’re having on their local community, as the park will need to be closed whilst these repairs take place.

Damage caused at the play area

"The time, money, and resources the trust spend rectifying damage like could be better spent elsewhere.

"This is another example of the minority spoiling it for the majority."

The WVHT is urging people to report acts of vandalism by getting in touch with the Open Space team by emailing openspace@wvht.co.uk or calling 0300 303 9848.

Alternatively, members of the public can report incidents to Cheshire Police by calling 101 (999 in an emergency) or via the force's website at cheshire.police.uk/ro/report/.