An arson incident at Belfairs Park in Leigh has left the council facing repair costs of up to £15,000
Leigh: So, there was this unfortunate incident at Belfairs Park. A councillor, Stephen Aylen, mentioned that one of the play area towers was set on fire, making it super unsafe.
They’ve had to fence off the area to keep kids away, but don’t worry, the rest of the play area is still open for families to enjoy.
Aylen shared that the slide near the tower got melted, leaving sharp bits of metal sticking out. The council is eager to fix it up as soon as they can.
He said it seems like the culprits tried to set the tower on fire three times. They had to put up barriers because it was really dangerous, and they boarded it up just this Tuesday.
The repairs are going to cost between £10,000 and £15,000, which is such a bummer. It’s a lovely spot for kids, and it’s sad to see it vandalized like this.
Aylen expressed his frustration, saying whoever did this is just mindless. He pointed out that it looked like they used something like petrol to start the fire, and it’s pretty badly damaged.
They’ll need to do a major rebuild, and the whole site will be closed for a couple of weeks while they work on it.
Apparently, this all went down on Christmas Eve. Aylen is encouraging families to keep using the play area, as the rest of it is safe now.
He also mentioned that the wood used for the structure is special and will likely need to be ordered from the original manufacturer.
Aylen hopes the people responsible for this will be caught and brought to justice. He believes the police will find them, and they really should be held accountable for ruining a place meant for kids.
