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Vandalism spree before carnival capers
(August 16, 2009)WARMINSTER carnival’s summer jamboree in the town park required a little more thought this year as there was a scarecrow competition to entice people around the lake.
The idea was to guess the identity of the scarecrow and some were more of a challenge than others.
Pictured left Captain Hook guards the entrance to the putting green.
A greater challenge is how to keep the park secure and free from vandalism.
“During my walk around I met councillor Pip Ridout who informed me that the vandals had been at work in the area once again this week,” said Steve Dancey, co-author of VisionforWarminster.co.uk
“Apparently they had cut the rope at the boat house securing the pedalos and some ended up in the stream.
“Another problem has included filthy graffiti and the removal of a grating from the drain at the paddling pool which resulted in one girl cutting her leg and the closure of the pool.
“This is not what we want, especially when we are about to suffer the hottest two days of the year on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
The park has proved to be a security problem ever since the bank on the northern side was landscaped in the 1970s enabling open access to the area - before that the gates at either end were shut and that offered sufficient security.
Some commercial organisations plagued by large numbers of troublesome groups have looked at using high pitched noise only audible to those under the age of 25 to disperse potential offenders.
Could such a move be part of the solution here?
