LATE NIGHT vandals have struck in Wokingham again, leaving graffiti on a war memorial and setting fire to a picnic bench.
The attack, overnight on Saturday night into Sunday, took place in Howard Palmer Gardens, off Cockpit Path in Wokingham’s town centre.
Just days before the nation remembers the D Day landings, the unknown vandals wrote homophobic messages on the town’s war memorial bench that had previously been in Market Place.
They also tore down branches off trees, possibly using this to set fire to the picnic bench, leaving a large hole in the table area.
And silver canisters of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, were left in the Cockpit Path car park.
A man who regularly uses the park but didn’t wish to be named said that the damage was caused by a gang of youths that are known to the police but carry on regardless. He was angered and sickened by the attack adding that the park was there for the whole borough to enjoy.
And it is Wokingham Town Council who have to pick up the repair bill as they maintain the park.
Cllr Imogen Shepherd-DuBey, Wokingham Town Council leader, was angered by the attack.
She said: “Howard Palmer Gardens has recently been subjected to a fair amount of late-night vandalism at quite a cost to the Town Council.
“On hearing about this weekend’s vandalism, I went to see the resulting damage on Bank Holiday Monday.
“The most severe damage is to the bench, where someone has deliberately set fire to it, burning a large hole in it. I reported directly to the Town Council Officers who are working with the police to try to identify those responsible.
“As well as the burnt bench there has been the addition of a considerable amount of graffiti across the furniture.
“Much of the graffiti is homophobic and clearly intended to intimidate teenagers and young men in the area. We need to be clear that such behaviour will not be tolerated and is not welcome in Wokingham.
“Every law-abiding citizen should be allowed to feel safe in our Town and we expect those that commit these antisocial acts of vandalism and intimidation to be caught and punished.”
