Railway volunteers 'devastated' after vandalism

Vandalism at a miniature railway has left volunteers "devastated", the owner has said.

Bob Brocklehurst, of Pugneys Light Railway in Wakefield, said volunteers turned up on Saturday to discover solar panels had been torn from a station hut and electrical wiring cut.

He said: "It brought lumps to my throat when I heard about it from the volunteers. It's their lives, their happy place, everyone is really upset.

West Yorkshire Police have been contacted for comment.

Brocklehurst said the railway, which runs around the lake in Pugneys Country Park, was "derelict" when he took it on nine years ago.

"It's taken so much work to make it really nice over the years and now people visit from all over the country," he said.

Brocklehurst said the trains were still running, with the damage only affecting infrastructure, such as the points.

However, he said the batteries that powered the trains could not be charged.

In a post on social media, Brocklehurst said the incident was the third case of vandalism in the last two months.

He said each incident had left volunteers "more devastated, more exhausted, and more heartbroken than the last".

"To see something built with love, care, and community spirit treated with such disregard is incredibly painful," he said.

Brocklehurst said he had spoken to West Yorkshire Police on Sunday and since the incident had received "such a wealth of support from the local community", with local businesses also offering to install security cameras.

"It's cheered us up no end, it's quite humbling," he said.

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