A CHILDREN’S playground has been vandalised twice in a week.

The incidents at the Olive Lane park follow reports of ongoing damage at Bold Venture Park playground which led to it being described as ‘almost unusable’ a couple of weeks ago.

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Now it has emerged that the soft covering beneath the swings in Olive Lane were ripped up on Sunday, days after the council replaced the surface due to a previous attack. The cost of repairs has run into hundreds of pounds.

Sudell councillor Eileen Entwistle said it felt like a constant battle and said: “Parents should really know what their kids are up to and take some responsibility. One day I was at the nearby children’s centre and I saw two men jumping on one of the climbing frames.

“I actually challenged them and told them they were setting a bad example and they should know better. It is a real pity that the equipment is being vandalised by older youths because it’s spoiling it for younger children.

“It seems to me that every time we fix something these older children and adults have vandalised, they just ruin it again. I don’t know what the answer is. It’s been going on for so long.

“They are in there late at night and people complain about hearing them quite often. It is a problem for all our playgrounds and police cannot be there all the time to monitor what is going on.

“It’s such a shame because it is a nice area. It’s a problem for the council, the police and everyone really.”

In 2012 a spate of criminal damage in the Olive Lane area was flagged up to police and in 2008 residents called for a curfew to stop teenagers wreaking havoc in the playground.

Councillor Roy Davies, also of the Sudell ward, said addressing the vandalism issues must be a priority.

He said: “The replacement surface would have cost hundreds of pounds.

“I will be placing this incident on the Darwen Council agenda for the next meeting to see if a reward can be put in place for anyone who comes forward with information that would lead to prosecution.”