No place to play (From Penarth Times)

No place to play

PENARTH children are being deprived of safe places to play due to a vicious circle of vandalism.

Parents are outraged at youths who destroy the town's parks forcing them to close - only to return when they are repaired to wreck them once again.

This, they claim, leaves young children with nowhere to play and creates a 'vicious circle' that is never broken

Three of Penarth's play areas are currently under threat.

The Harbour View site is already closed and the Chichester Road and High View play areas are soon to be shut.

Many parents blame the shabby council accommodation surrounding the area for the vandalism.

Resident Dawn Flannagan said: "It is terrible. We have just been left here.

The area around our property is steadily falling in to disrepair.

"We are living in a ghost town.

The land on Chichester Road has been left to grow wild.

As for the play area, it was lovely for 30 years, but now it has all gone.

We need the place clearing up because it is getting quite bad around here."

Penarth councillor Maureen Kelly Owen said: "It is a shame the play area is to be closed down.

But there are only one or two people left, so I don't think many children play there any more.

There are other more important issues to be cleared up in this part of Penarth, but there should be some funding from the Vale Council for play areas in the future."

A Vale of Glamorgan Council spokesman said: "The council is always examining ways in which it can improve security at its play areas, but any proposals need to be carefully considered in the context of availability of finance and the authority's current priorities."

lWhat do you think about our shoddy play areas?

Write to the Penarth Times with your views.