“UTTERLY mindless”, “disgraceful” and “upsetting” – these are some of the reactions from the Alcester community in response to an act of suspected vandalism that could cost the community thousands of pounds.
At around 2.15am on Monday, October 30, a container belonging to Alcester Town Council on Jubilee Fields was set on fire. The fire service were called out to extinguish the blaze, but it wasn’t until the following morning that the true extent of the damage was discovered.
The storage container, which is made of metal and has a wooden base, was being used to store equipment for community events, such as street fayres, Court Leet and British Legion events – including 25 gazebos.
All 25 were totally destroyed in the blaze, and costing around £400 each, it is estimated that to replace them it could cost the Town Council around £10,000.
A spokesperson for the authority said: “It’s a real shame, because these gazebos are used by the whole community.
“We will be making plans and assessing our budgets in terms of replacing the lost items.
“We have a lot of street fayres and markets in Alcester, and it’s a pity that something like this should happen.”
Court Leet High Bailiff Steven Brown added: “Vandalism is criminal and inexcusable.
“It’s sad that things like this can happen to community assets. It’s going to make it very difficult when we celebrate St Nicks night in December.
“I doubt that the perpetrators had any idea the amount of damage they were doing to the community as a whole.
“It’s not just a bit of fun burning a pod in a field – affects a lot of people and the wider community.”
Police at the Alcester Safer Neighbourhood Team have confirmed an arson investigation is under way.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number 21 of 30 October.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Anyone with any information can pass it onto to the police, calling 101 and quoting incident number 0021 30/10/2017, or calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
