Council ‘must take stand’ against vandals – McKee

As reported in the Times, a £125,000 children’s play area at Beachlands in Carnlough had to be closed after protective safety surfacing was ripped up and two pieces of play equipment were damaged, leaving Larne Council with a repair bill of £3,000.

The incident is the latest in a series of vandalism in the village. Last year alone, £22,170 of ratepayers’ money was spent repairing damage to council-owned grounds and equipment in Carnlough – more than three times the amount spent in Larne or Glenarm. The total damage throughout the borough amounted to a whopping £65,000.

At the latest monthly meeting of Larne Borough Council, elected representatives expressed serious concerns about the level of vandalism throughout the borough and the cost to ratepayers.

Cllr Gregg McKeen asked: “When is this going to stop? At some stage we either need to bring this under control or say enough is enough, stop repairing the damage and withdraw the affected play parks.

“That is the last thing we want to do, as it will mean the vandals have won. But it is money that could be spent on other things. We need to come up with a solution to stop throwing good money after bad.”

Alderman Jack McKee pointed out that damaged play equipment in Antiville had not been repaired, and asked how the council could fix equipment in one area but not another.