Witnesses are being asked to come forward after a historic site in Bridgend was vandalised twice in one month.
Bridgend Council and South Wales Police are urging witnesses to report any suspicious activity around Cefn Cribwr Ironworks after it was targeted by vandals.
The council revealed vandals damaged a wall inside the charging house of the ironworks, also known as the Bedford Ironworks, last week. In October, someone cut the lock on the front gate of the monument and damaged the same wall.
Council leader Huw David said he was "sad to hear" the site had been vandalised.
The Cefn Cribwr councillor added: "The Bedford Ironworks is very significant in the history of the development of industry in South Wales.
“The area is popular with dog walkers, joggers and cyclists and I would urge anyone who witnesses any suspicious activity to report it to police by calling 101.”
The incident has been reported to South Wales Police as a heritage crime, which means an offence which harms assets including listed buildings, scheduled monuments, and landscapes.
Officers will be patrolling the area and a new lock has been fitted at the site, which is now closed for repairs.
Local policing inspector Melanie Knight said: “The site does appear to have been targeted by vandals as two walls have been knocked down in consecutive months.
"As a result we’ve upped patrols in the area and given site management some crime prevention advice.
"We have nothing specific to suggest the incidents are linked, however, due their similarities and the fact that they have both occurred recently, the same people may well be responsible.
"Anybody who has information about these incidents should contact 101 and give ref *412366. Alternatively they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Cefn Cribwr Ironworks is a scheduled monument, comprising of the best-preserved eighteenth-century ironworks in Britain. The individual structures are listed buildings.
They were built by John Bedford, a Birmingham man who moved into the area in 1770. He lived in Plas Cefn, later called Bedford House, located south of the park.
Bedford built a blast furnace in the 1780s and sank pits to extract ironstone and coal. Production continued at the furnace until around 1834.
The wall that has recently been damaged was repaired in Autumn 2019 costing over £600. While Bridgend Council owns the site, the whole of Bedford Park, including the ironworks, is managed by Awen Cultural Trust.
