CRIMINAL damage to a play park is costing a town council about £17,000 a year.
The Stonards Hill recreation ground is a target for vandals who leave broken glass all over the children's play park.
But Epping mayor Ben Murphy is planning to make some "significant investments" to improve these facilities during the coming year.
He met with the new District Police Commander, Chief Inspector Jonathan Baldwin to discuss plans for Epping and hopes to work alongside him to tackle the problem.
Mr Murphy said: "My council often has to deal with the effects of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage.
"Stonards Hill recreation ground is the prime example of that.
"Annually we spend around £17,000 from damage to our facilities on this site which is an enormous waste of public funds, but necessary to make the well-used grounds safe. Partnership working to tackle this matter will be of great benefit to the town."
He added: "Chief inspector Baldwin has some very innovative ideas of how to tackle crime and disorder across the district."
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