Vandals leave a trail of destruction in a Harborough park as they flout Covid rules

Vandals who left a trail of destruction in a popular Market Harborough park as they flagrantly flouted Covid rules are being hunted by police.

The offenders tore down metal fencing and damaged the table tennis table in Welland Park on Sunday night.

Fencing around the bandstand was also attacked as the intruders targeted a patch of the park outside the café.

That’s been fenced off during the national lockdown to stop people using picnic benches.

Local residents alerted police just before 8pm on Sunday night after hearing a gang of youths causing a “loud disturbance” in the park, which sits between Coventry Road and Welland Park Road.

A pensioner who lives nearby told the Harborough Mail: “A neighbour of mine called the police.

“It sounded as if there was a lot of people out there causing trouble – we could clearly hear the racket, even through closed windows.

“They were drunk too by the sounds of it.”

She added: “The same happened on Saturday night as well.

“I can’t believe that people are causing this sort of mindless damage in such a beautiful park.

“And they are getting together in large numbers and breaking all the lockdown laws at a time when we still have people going to hospital with Covid and dying of it too.

“It’s just not right.”

Cllr Phil King, the leader of Harborough District Council, said the incident was “very concerning on a whole number of levels”.

Cllr King said the offenders should not be allowed to get away with breaking coronavirus restrictions.

And he warned that taxpayers would have to pick up the bill as the damaged equipment belonged to the council.

A Harborough council spokeswoman said: “Sadly, the table tennis area and the metal fencing around the café in Welland Park was damaged in the early evening on Sunday.

“We have reported this criminal damage to the police, who are also able to take enforcement action on gatherings of people during national coronavirus restrictions.”

If you have any information about the attack you are being asked to call police on 101, quoting crime number 21*104203.