Park vandals set fire to Blackpool community shed

Volunteers have been left devastated after their new community hut was targeted in New Year's Day arson attack.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue was called at 20:54 GMT to the shed in Moor Park in the Bispham area of Blackpool.

It is the second time the hut has been vandalised since it was built in November. Its windows and doors were destroyed in the first attack.

Friends of Moor Park, which spent two years fundraising to build the hut, said it was working with Lancashire Police.

"It is so frustrating for the volunteers who give their time and effort to make things better for the community," said Blackpool councillor Jon Bamborough, who is also a member of the Friends of Moor Park group.

"We will meet next week to discuss what to do about this. We may have to look at using a more robust structure," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Bamborough said: "But no matter the security you have, if someone is determined to vandalise property, it's hard to prevent something like that."

He said new information had come to light about a potential suspect and added that this had been passed on to police.

The councillor added: "Obviously we can't say any more at this stage, but the police are aware of this."

The hut's original use was for storing tools and a providing a meeting place for volunteers involved in maintaining and improving the park.

Moor Park isn't the only park in Blackpool to be hit by vandals in recent days.

There was an incident in Anchorsholme Park on 28 December, when pirate ship-themed play equipment was set on fire.

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