A Newhall resident has slammed "disrespectful" youngsters who have vandalised benches at a sacred memorial in the community’s park.
Barry Woods, 71, worked tirelessly with Friends of Newhall Park to raise the funds for four memorial benches, which each cost £800, to be sited in the park but he is shocked and upset to see that some of the seating has been defaced.
The dad of two voiced his concerns at a recent Safer Neighbourhood Team meeting and asked that police deploy community officers to monitor and catch the culprits.
He said: "We went to a lot of hard work to raise the funds for these seats and now they are being damaged.
"The area is being taken over by young people in the early evening and the memorial park is their new meeting place. Four or five days of the week you can walk past at six o'clock and they are there.
"A while back I saw a young man actually on top of the memorial with a scooter and now these people are taking our memorial seats and drawing faces on them. I have even taken to tackling them myself but it is just getting worse.
"This memorial is there for people who want to sit by it for comfort and pay their respects."
Mr Woods said there was plenty of seating available elsewhere in the park but that the youths are "not satisfied".
He said: "Youngsters have the skate park which is 200 or 300 yards from the memorial. They can use those seats but instead they are using the memorial seats, writing on them and painting smiley faces. We don’t mind them being used at all but please don’t deface them.
"We went to a lot of hard work to raise the funds for these seats and now they are being damaged."
Mr Woods has lived in Newhall for 49 years and is currently chairman of Friends of Newhall Park, which works alongside South Derbyshire District Council to make the village a better place to live. The group helped pay for the unusual benches which depict images of First World War soldiers and poppies.
He said: "We are still trying to get stuff done but you sometimes wonder why you bother when people don’t appreciate it and look after it."
Mr Woods has even taken to speaking to youngsters at William Allitt school about the issue and told those present at the meeting that the situation was "heartbreaking".
He said: "I think the vandals should be ashamed of themselves. There are more than 150 names commemorating soldiers from the Newhall area on the memorial and the space should be given some respect. It is sacred and is used by the veterans' association for the annual Remembrance Day service.
"I find the whole thing very upsetting and I am asking that the police help stop these vandals."
PC Kev Cassidy from Derbyshire Police responded to Mr Woods at the meeting telling him they are aware of the area being a hotspot for youngsters at night.
He said: "We have fined someone who has been a nuisance at the park so we have been there and are aware of the problems but, from a police point of view, the lit park is the best place for these young people to be rather than on street corners."
A spokesman for South Derbyshire District Council said: "We have inspected the damage and will repair and restore the memorial benches at Newhall Park. We have also been liaising with the local Safer Neighbourhood team so that patrols can be increased in the area.
"We would ask the public to be extra vigilant and call the police on 101 if they spot any further vandalism being caused."
A spokesman for Derbyshire Police added: "If anybody would like to report any concerns about antisocial behaviour we would ask them to call 101 so that we can look into it."
£23,000 war memorial was unveiled last year
The war memorial was unveiled last year to pay tribute to the men and women from around the area who lost their lives in battle.
Friends of Newhall Park decided to create the memorial as, previously, there were only two plaques commemorating soldiers from the area who died in the Second World War but none for those who lost their lives in the First World War.
The memorial is made up of four metal benches and a large stone monument with a metal plaque engraved with the names of the 159 from Newhall and Stanton who died serving their country.
The memorial has 101 names of soldiers from the First World War, 56 names from the Second World War and two from more recent years.
The most recent names added were KW Hall, who died in Palestine in 1948, and Russell Aston, who was killed in Iraq in 2003.
The total cost of the memorial was £23,000 and Friends of Newhall Park raised £11,500, which was match-funded by South Derbyshire District Council's community partnership team.
Burton Mail readers say "disrespectful" vandals should be named and shamed
Burton Mail readers have been left shocked by the "disgraceful" vandalism and have called for the culprits to be named and shamed and made to clear up the mess.
David Keelor said: "My grandfather is a World War Two Royal Sussex Regiment-Burma veteran. He is one of the few remaining Burma Star holders. He taught me my responsibility to my country, told me about his war experiences and I know he would be beyond upset at this disrespect.
"Unfortunately this kind of disgusting display happens here in America as well. I would volunteer to help clean up this mess as we all know those responsible will never admit it. I thank all the veterans in the UK as without your help the world would be a very ugly place."
Jono Stone said the vandalism was a result of a "lack of punishment". He wrote: "Antisocial behaviour kids are always in the wrong; the pathetic children need more discipline."
Teigan Johnsey said her house backs onto the park and she has posted before about youngsters using the building site next to it. She wrote: "The trouble is their parents are all "it’s not my child" they should teach them some respect, especially towards something so special like this! It is such a lovely thing to have and such a shame it has been defaced."
Jade Louise Kay said: "We didn't put them in for people to deface them, they were put in for the people who need to be remembered and deserve to be remembered. Because without those people those vandals wouldn't be here today in the environment they live, they need to be taught respect and honour of the generation that gave their lives so they could have theirs. This winds me up every year when I do the appeal and every day when I hear something negative against the memorials and the people that gave their lives."
Neil Dave Smith added: "This is what is wrong with this country there is no respect anymore. I am only 50 but when I was young I was taught right from wrong, it is a pity some parents don't teach their kids this these days."
Sheila Marrison called the vandalism "despicable behaviour" and said: "I hope the perpetrators are found and dealt with severely."
Scott Burton said the park should be taken from the kids and the fences and gates should be locked at night. He said: "Kids these days have no respect for nothing nor no one so instead of giving them luxury take it away from them, it is simple."
Sue Cooper said the vandals should be "named and made to clean the benches" if they are caught.
