£1,000 damage as vandals smash up Stourbridge public toilets
Vandals broke into public toilets in a Stourbridge park and caused damage running into hundreds of pounds.
Witnesses are now urged to come forward after someone broke into the male toilet block next to the healthy active hub at Mary Stevens Park and caused an estimated £1,000 in damage.
They pulled urinals off the wall, causing damage to the plumbing, broke the lock on the main door and forced wet paper towels into a wall-mounted heater and lodged them over the fire sensor.
It means the male toilets will be closed until further notice while the facilities are repaired.
The incident happened at some point during the weekend.
Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for public realm, said: "Our parks and open spaces are a sanctuary for many of our residents, this year more than most, and the facilities are there for everyone’s benefit.
"I despair that anyone could behave in such a way and cause this kind of damage for the pure fun of it. It shouldn’t be down to the council or Dudley taxpayers to foot the bill for this or any kind of vandalism and I hope that the police are able to identify who caused the damage. Mary Stevens Park is so well used not only by residents in Norton but also people right across Dudley and further afield.
"Rest assured the incident has been reported to the police and I hope who ever committed this crime feels the full force of the law. We are in the process of checking CCTV footage and we will do our best to get the repairs done as quickly as possible. In the meantime, I would urge anyone with information to come forward and assist with the investigation."
Anyone with information can call either Dudley Council Plus on 0300 555 2345 or the police on 101.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org
