Vandals launch new park attack

2:18am Tuesday 13th May 2008

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Damaged floodlights at a well-used park will not be repaired in the near future, it was revealed today as vandals attacked a second park.

The lights at Attock Park, off Leeds Road, Bradford Moor, have been out of use since they were vandalised in early April.

The floodlights, installed to illuminate the children's play area and an all-weather football pitch, have been the target of recurring vandalism over the last two years.

Now Bradford Council has taken the decision not to repair the lights because no funding is available and the lighter nights mean children can use the park longer into the evenings.

Delaying the repairs could also provide the opportunity for better security to be put in place to prevent future attacks on the park's equipment.

It is hoped that a proposed community cabin for young people, complete with CCTV cameras, could act as a deterrent to the vandals. A planning application for the cabin, to be located on the edge of the park, has been submitted to the Council. The decision about repairs at Attock Park has been taken at a time when details of vandalism at another community facility in Bradford Moor have emerged. There has also been some vandalism at Myra Shay, which is a real shame because £2.5 million has just been spent on that facility," said Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq (Lab, Bradford Moor).

Coun Khaliq said he had contacted the Council to ask for the damage at Myra Shay to be put right as soon as possible. He said: "They have damaged children's play area equipment, set fire to a litter bin and pulled out signposts. A drainage cover has also been damaged and is in a dangerous condition and that needs urgent attention.

"In terms of Attock Park, we need to put the repairs on the back-burner until we see the outcome of the planning application for the community cabin. Funding is available for the cabin, which would be a meeting place and a facility for young people.

"The cabin could be located on the side of the park where the damage has occurred to the electricity boxes, so it would be a deterrent.

"At the moment, it's an easy target for vandals. There's no point putting money in day after day to carry out repairs, then it getting vandalised again."

Graham Atkins, of the Council's parks and landscape service, said he and Barrie Tinker, the Council's principal parks and landscape manager, thought the lights would not be needed because light nights are fast approaching.