A play area popular with children and their parents has been completely destroyed after being 'deliberately' set on fire.
The 'senseless' act of vandalism happened last night in Town Park in Runcorn, Cheshire.
Fire crews were called out around 9.30pm after receiving multiple reports of a fire in the park.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
On arrival, the fire fighters found an area of seating on fire in the children's play area which they said had been started deliberately.
Crews used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire and were at the scene for an hour.
Pictures taken by an ECHO photographer show the park maintenance team having to tear up the playground surface where the seating had been completely destroyed.
After details of the arson were posted on a Facebook community group, many parents branded the vandalism "vile" and "disgraceful" and said their children would be "gutted" by the damage caused.
One woman said: "Wow is there any need for this? I hope whoever done it [sic] is found by the police and punished - this is disgraceful".
A mum posted: "We were only there yesterday afternoon - my boys will be gutted. I don’t even want to tell them as they have already had a horrible year".
Another post said: "Absolutely vile. Feel sorry for the owner and for the kids that use the train. Hope they catch them and throw away the key".
And a dad posted: "Breaks your heart when you have happy memories and photos of your kids there with big smiles on their faces."
He added: "Such a sad loss to Runcorn and all the wonderful volunteers who serve the community with the train there. SHAME ON WHOEVER DID THIS."
Use your postcode below to find vaccine locations near where you live
A statement on the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service website said: "At around 9.30pm firefighters received multiple reports of a fire at a playground in Runcorn.
"On arrival the crew found two seats of fire, both within the children's play area.
"Firefighters used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire and were detained at the incident for around one hour.
"The cause of the of the fire is believe to be deliberate and anyone with any information is asked to call Cheshire Police on 101."
Cheshire Police confirmed the fire is thought to have been started deliberately and investigations into who started it are ongoing.
For the latest news and breaking news visit http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/.
Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow us on Twitter @LivECHONews - the official Liverpool ECHO Twitter account - real news in real time.
We're also on Facebook/theliverpoolecho - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO.
