'Selfish, heartless' vandals trash Victorian bandstand

Vandals have smashed the flooring and damaged the railings of a Victorian bandstand in a Wolverhampton park.

A substantial part of the wooden flooring of the bandstand at East Park has been broken up and balustrades from a decorative wall near to the splash pad area were also toppled, the city council said.

The feature was a rare example of a Victorian cast-iron bandstand and is an original feature from when the park opened in 1896.

The incident happened on 29 October but vandals have previously caused damage to the railings as well as some earlier impact to the floorboards, the authority added.

The council has informed West Midlands Police and as a result of the latest vandalism, council officers are working with neighbourhood safety co-ordinators to provide information and evidence of the recent incidents.

The damaged areas have been fenced off while discussions are held about repairs.

"This was an absolutely disgraceful act by vandals," councillor Qaiser Azeem said.

"We strongly condemn their selfish and heartless actions and we will do everything we can to work with police and identify the culprits.

"East Park is a much-loved green space for our local residents and the council will look at every route we have available to find funding to repair this costly damage."

The council has announced plans to crackdown on nuisance behaviour in the city by introducing a team of enforcement officers.

They would help enforce Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) - powers to tackle antisocial behaviour- and work alongside West Midlands Police, engaging with people and as a last resort, take action against those responsible.

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