Call for park fence and warden after trees snapped
Robson HenryThe snapping of 24 newly planted trees has prompted a call for park fences and wardens.
Trees in Albany Park in Washington, Sunderland, were targeted by vandals last week and would not survive the damage, the council said.
Keep Washington Tidy ambassador Becky Swindells, who organises litter picks in the area, said the sight made her "really upset and angry" and called for protective measures at the park, as well as funding for youth projects to deter anti-social behaviour.
Sunderland City Council said it was treating it as a criminal matter and that the Concord and Sulgrave community safety team had increased evening and weekend patrols in the area to help identify those responsible.
Miss Swindells said: "The thing is this actually reminds me of [the felling of] the Sycamore tree.
"It was just awful to see."
The park, which houses the F-Pit museum, is the focus of regeneration work.
She said: "It's taken some force to do this and I don't understand how they've done it and why they've done it.
"It's just been taken, straight away, by these people."
Sunderland City Council Dozens of people reacted angrily to the sight of the snapped trees on social media, with some also calling for floodlights and CCTV to be installed.
Miss Swindells said money needed to be spent on education.
"We need to tell our generations that you don't graffiti on the subway, you don't snap that tree, you don't vandalise the bin," she said.
"[We need] youth projects where we teach our children...what's right and what's wrong and unfortunately we don't have this in Washington."
The Labour-led council said: "We remain committed to improving Albany Park and ensuring it is a safe and welcoming space for residents and all visitors."
It added that more information was being gathered so the matter had not yet been reported to police.
Miss Swindells said: "They're [the vandals] just negative people, but we've got to live with it unfortunately."
