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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Lewis Smith

Bottles smashed and floor torn up at children's play park in Abertillery during Bank Holiday wrecking spree

This is the trail of destruction left following a Bank Holiday wrecking spree at at a children's play area in Blaenau Gwent.

Destruction included smashed bottles, ripped up flooring and burned out bins at Abertillery Park.

There was also damage done to the swing set and a bench that sit within the play area.

Vandalism at Abertillery Park (Darren Davies)

It follows similar incidents of vandalism carried out across the borough recently, with the field of local rugby side RTB and the transport link in Ebbw Vale town both coming under attack.

The latest damage was caused some time on Sunday evening while many people across Wales enjoyed the blistering heat on the bank holiday weekend.

Darren Davies, chairman of junior rugby at the club, believes that continued incidents such as these could lead to the removal of play parks in the area.

He said: "The fire service has been called down there three times this week already, so it's an issue that's getting worse. If the council doesn't have the budget for repairs at the moment then the only option could be to remove the playground altogether. It's a real shame but that's where we're at right now."

The playground floor, ripped up and set alight (Darren Davies)

"We have friends who bring their small children down to play in the park, but at the moment with all the smashed glass around it's not safe enough for them to use it."

"It's not just Abertillery park either. They're also having the same issues with damage further up the valley in Blaina and Brynmawr, so something definitely needs to be done."

It comes just months after a group of volunteers from the community worked to bring back The Three Feathers landmark  on the ground earlier this year.

Councillor Martin John Cook of Abertillery believes a greater police presence in the area could be the answer to tackling vandalism in Blaenau Gwent, and could be key to the survival of similar playgrounds right across the borough. 

He said: "It would be devastating if we started to lose parks like this, but I think a greater police presence in the area would really help in stopping these kind of destructive acts. The incidents have been reported, but to be honest very little seems to be done about it. There are few other options and that would be the best place to start in my opinion."

Gwent Police has been asked to comment.

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