Rugby council left with costly repair bill after vandals smash play equipment and leave park strewn with broken glass

Selfish vandals have left Rugbeians with a bill for thousands of pounds after they smashed their way through expensive play equipment at Whitehall Recreation Ground.

Whitehall Rec's refurbished play area was unveiled in 2018 after the council installed a range of new equipment with the support of a £75,000 grant from the Veolia Environmental Trust.

New equipment included outdoor table tennis, table football and picnic benches complete with chess and draughts boards, together with an interactive music area featuring a floor piano, Cajun drums and xylophones.

The vandals smashed the table tennis table's reinforced concrete net, snapped a xylophone and damaged drums, while also attacking the security fencing which currently protects the recreation ground's historic bandstand.

Broken glass was also left strewn across the play area and a litter bin was damaged beyond repair.

At a time where Rugbeians need parks and open spaces more than ever, Rugby Borough council now faces a bill of thousands of pounds to repair the damage.

The incident, which took place late on Friday September 4, has been reported to Warwickshire Police.

Cllr Howard Roberts, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for environment and public realm, said: "The refurbishment of the play area at Whitehall Rec took place following extensive consultation with residents and has proved extremely popular with visitors.

"Our parks and grounds team believe the vandals must have used a sledgehammer or similar tool to cause such extensive damage, mindless destruction which deprives our communities of a safe place to play and costs the borough's taxpayers thousands of pounds to put right.

"I'd urge anyone with information about the vandalism to contact Warwickshire Police so the culprits can be held to account."

Anyone with information is asked to call Warwickshire Police on 101, quoting crime number 23/38284-20.