An “irresponsible group of yobs” are being blamed after a new play area in Swansea was vandalised and set on fire - just months after it opened.
Work was carried out at Cwmbwrla Park towards the end of 2021 as part of a pledge by the local council to improve a number of play areas in different communities with the help of tens of thousands of pounds in funding that was given to each ward in Swansea. To get the latest Swansea stories sent directly to you for free, click here.
The improvement at Cwmbwrla Park included the installation of a new surface to replace the old wood-chip islands, together with a new climbing frame, slides, a springer and swings. However, just a few months after the work was completed, the park has been beset by problems. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Damage has been caused to the new equipment and local residents have been abused, according to Peter Black, who is standing as a Welsh Liberal Democrats candidate in the local elections for Cwmbwrla ward. Meanwhile, fires have been set in the park in an apparent deliberate attempt to cause further damage. You can read more stories about Swansea here.
“I am appalled at the damage caused to the brand new play area in Cwmbwrla Park by vandals trying to set fire to the new surface and equipment,” said Mr Black. "Since this area was installed there has been minor damage to some of the equipment on a couple of occasions, but this latest attack is the worst yet. I am also getting reports of abusive behaviour to local residents and fires being set elsewhere in the park.
“This sort of behaviour is selfish and unacceptable. It is criminal and seeks to deny facilities to others. Local councillors have been in touch with police on a number of occasions about incidents in the park and we have reported this latest incident as well. Thousands of pounds have been invested in this park. I am not prepared to see that money wasted because of the actions of an irresponsible group of yobs. I would urge anybody who witnesses such behaviour to report it to the police immediately.”
The leader of Swansea Council, Rob Stewart, said: "We remain committed to investing £5m to upgrade every park and play area in Swansea. It’s unacceptable that Cwmbwrla play area has been vandalised in this way and we will work with the police and community try and find those responsible and bring them to justice."
Also standing in the Cwmbwrla ward are: Ilona Gofmaniene (FreedomAlliance. RealPeople. RealAlternative); Margaret Greenaway (Welsh Labour); Chris Griffiths (Welsh Conservative); Malcolm Harrington (Welsh Labour); Chris Holley (Welsh Liberal Democrats); Ian Isaac (Welsh Labour); Lewis Thomas (Welsh Liberal Democrats), and; Rhiannon Wall (Wales Green Party).
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