A BILL of nearly £1,500 has been racked up as vandals have damaged several play areas in Trowbridge, just as thousands has been spent on improving them.

This year, Trowbridge Town Council has spent over £50,000 refurbishing the play areas at Yeoman Way, Cavell Court, St Thomas, Cornbrash Rise, Paxcroft, Beech Grove and Regent’s Place.

The town council took over the town’s 24 play areas from Wiltshire Council last year, after the authority agreed to pay the town council £50,000 to take over their management.

The town council then pledged to spend £200,000 in 2018 to bring them up to standard. However in the last month, vandals have damaged play areas at Cavell Court, Regents Place and Paxcroft - much to the council’s frustration.

Carl Maddox, neighbourhood services supervisor at the council, said: “This is mindless vandalism. Last week we carried out emergency work at Regent’s Place play area as two broken wooden boards were replaced and others were fixed on the climbing apparatus.

“Less than a week later, the swing safety harness there was broken by vandals as they sawed through the seat. Then picnic benches in Trowbridge Park were smashed, along with the bug hotel there too.

“It is getting silly. I do not know what is going on.

“We are paying to take over these play areas and have spent thousands to repair them. If they don’t get fixed, like what happened when Wiltshire Council were in charge of them, they can fall into disrepair.

“We don’t have an endless supply of money. We don’t want this to happen any more. Wiltshire Council closed play areas down, we do not want to do that.”

The town council may have to go into its reserves to cover the damage.

Clare Lyall, the council’s head of service, culture and neighbourhoods, said: “We have tried to modernise and improve equipment in play areas in various locations and then people do this.

“We are trying to enhance the community and make it a better place to live, work and play in but people are going round and are deliberately destroying and vandalising things. The smashed benches in the park have now been removed. If you abuse it you will lose it.”

Mrs Lyall said that from now on the council will report every incident of vandalism as crimes to the police.

The picnic benches that were destroyed in Trowbridge Park were donated to the town council by the owner of the Kings Arms pub, Mike LeFever. “It is a shame that people feel the need to do that,” he said.