Hand sanitisers stations have been targeted by vandals in Sunderland city centre.
Four out of five hand sanitiser stations were damaged over the weekend, with reserved seating signs on public seating area also being ripped down.
The public hand sanitiser stations have been put in place to keep Sunderland residents safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
Kirsty Currie, operations manager at Sunderland Business Improvement District (BID), said: “We put these measures in place to keep people safe and whoever is doing this is compromising people’s safety.”
Sharing photos of the damage on its Facebook page, Sunderland BID, said: “Sunderland BID is asking anyone who has any information about the damage, which is thought to have happened over the weekend, to come forward.
"Please call Northumbria Police on 101 if you have any information or witnessed the act.
“Vandalism will not be tolerated at a time when we are working tirelessly to make Sunderland city centre a safe place for all.”
It comes after hand sanitiser dispensers in South Tyneside were smashed open to drink alcohol gel inside.
Users reportedly dispensed gel into bottles and drank it, while others have been broken into to steal the gel inside.
Northumbria Police said it did not appear the gel had been drunk in Sunderland.
A force spokesperson added: “Shortly before 9.45pm on Saturday we received a report of damage to a hand sanitiser dispenser at the Bridges shopping centre in Sunderland.
“Inquiries into the incident are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to get in touch with officers using the Tell us Something page on our website, quoting log 1344 080820.”
