A family park is thought to have been vandalised, with charity money needed to fix the damage.

Keekle Community Park volunteers shared their concerns regarding vandalism to Facebook, after a picnic bench was found broken and on its side.

Posting to social media, they said: “As a committee of volunteers, we work extremely hard to raise money for our charity in order to maintain our beloved park for everyone to enjoy. It is disheartening to see that some people do not respect or appreciate our local area.”

“Hopefully this issue will be resolved soon but at a cost to the charity. This money could be better spent elsewhere in the park, rather than fixing malicious damage.”

They added: “Thank you to everyone who reported the issue. We hope that you can enjoy the rest of the park while we sort this out.”

Councillor Graham Calvin is appalled by the vandalism, and said: “Valuable people give up their time to maintain the park for people to enjoy. It’s a disgrace that people do this, and everyone needs to be more vigilant in reporting this behaviour.”

He continued, urging the community to come forward when they witness destructive behaviour: “Any reports to the council will be dealt with anonymously, so please get in touch if vandalism is seen in the area.”