North Lurgan play park is to be closed until next week due to vandalism, ABC Council has announced.
Repair works are to be carried out at the park in due course and it is hoped that the play area will be operational next week. It is expected that there will be a cost of £500 for materials.
Announcing the closure on social media, a spokesperson for ABC Council said: “We apologise for any inconvenience and appeal to people to please respect these local amenities.”
Sinn Fein Councillor Keith Haughian said that the incident will cause “distress and annoyance”.
He commented: “Unfortunately the cause of this is vandalism. The behaviour of the vast majority of our young people is to be commended. Those responsible for this damage to a very well used park during a busy summer period should reflect and consider who they are causing distress and annoyance to.”
North Lurgan Play Park
The facility, which is located on the Levin Road in the town, is not the first to be shut due to vandalism in recent weeks.
The play park at Solitude Park in Banbridge is also currently closed as a result of vandalism, with council saying that it will not reopen for another few weeks.
At a recent ABC Council meeting, Alliance Councillor Joy Ferguson called for council to consider installing CCTV in the borough’s play parks, in the hope it could be a cost-effective way to deter vandals.
“The play park at Solitude Park is currently closed as a result of vandalism and I have asked officers for a report comparing the cost of vandalism and the associated maintenance against the cost of installing and running CCTV at the park,” she said.
“This park is a vital service for our children and parents and I will be pressing council to get the park open as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Read more: Call for council to consider CCTV following Solitude Park vandalism
Police fear Waringstown Primary School vandalism will ‘escalate’ over summer
