Westall Road playground on Debden estate damaged before even opening (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Westall Road playground on Debden estate damaged before even opening

11:20am Thursday 12th November 2009 in

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VANDALS have repeatedly targeted a children's playground before it has even opened and completely destroyed some equipment.

The fence around the new Westall Road playground, in Loughton, has been pulled down on a daily basis by yobs, and the tunnel feature inside burned to the ground after multiple arson attacks.

Jodie Erics, 32, of Colebrook Lane, Loughton, had been looking forward to taking her 21-month-old son Raffie on the new equipment and said she was devastated by the damage to the area.

“I have watched local children pull the scaffolding down and climb into the park every evening to have a play on the equipment, and was waiting for the day they vandalised something," she said.

“Well it has come, the lovely new tunnel feature,the only feature in the park my baby can use, has been set alight and totally burnt out.

“I even watched one day in broad daylight as a mum held back the scaffolding so that her ten-year-old daughter could have a go on the climbing frame. What is Debden coming to?

“ I guess those kids and parents would rather have houses built on that site because that's what will happen if the park is not looked after.”

Loughton Town Council had promised to deliver the new playground this month and said most of the work had been completed by October 30.

But the deadline could now be pushed back as council officers attend the site on a daily basis to repair vandalism.

Services manager Paul Hoy said: “On the morning of November 2 I attended the site to re-erect the temporary fencing and I discovered the tunnel had been set on fire at some point over the previous weekend. The tunnel was damaged beyond repair .

“The tunnel was subject to an even greater arson attack over the weekend of November 7 and 8 resulting in the complete destruction of the fabric of the tunnel, the caving in of the roof of the mound and a huge area of scorched turf at the mouth of the tunnel.

“All negotiation between the town council and the contractor has been resolved and it is anticipated that the tunnel will be reinstated within the next two weeks.”