We won’t let vandals spoil our park improvements

Published Monday, 8th April 2019

Council chiefs have vowed to track down the vandals who have tried to spoil ongoing improvements to Hartlepool’s Rossmere Park and have urged local people to help by reporting the culprits.

Hartlepool Borough Council is in the process of making £550,000 of improvements to the popular park, including the creation of a new toddler play area, a junior play area with facilities including a Sutu interactive ball wall, a covered events area in the centre of the park and a car park.

However, over the past few days youths have damaged the new Sutu wall by throwing stones and bricks at it. New plants were pulled out and seeded areas were damaged by being walked and cycled over and a large amount of litter – including empty energy drink cans and sweet wrappers – was strewn around the park.

Rossmere Park vandalism

Plants pulled up from one of the newly planted beds and items thrown at the Sutu wall

Rossmere Park vandalism

Tony Hanson, Assistant Director (Environment and Neighbourhood Services), said "This is appalling - a small minority are trying to spoil things for everyone.

“Several years of work went into planning this project and obtaining grant funding for it and we won’t let these hooligans wreck things.

“We will track down and take action against the culprits. We will be sharing our CCTV footage with the Police and together with the Police we’re following up eyewitness information and descriptions of the culprits and stepping up patrols in the area.

“If anyone has any information, I would urge them to please report it, in confidence, to the Hartlepool Community Safety Team or the Police. With the help of local residents, we can stop these vandals spoiling the park for everyone else.”

The Hartlepool Community Safety Team can be contacted on 01429 523100 or email community.safety@hartlepool.gov.uk and Cleveland Police can be contacted by calling 101.