Volunteers at Abbey Street Park in Gornal have expressed shock after discovering offensive graffiti across "all major areas of the park", including a commemorative mural created for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. The vandalism was found during a weekly litter pick and was immediately reported to Dudley Council for removal.
Scale of damage shocks volunteer group
Kaye Highway, chair of Friends of Abbey Street Park, said the scale of the damage was unlike anything the group usually encounters. She said: "We discovered the graffiti yesterday during our weekly litter pick. It was immediately reported to DMBC for clearing.
"We, like many areas, do get graffiti from time to time but this is something we don't often get. The sheer scale of this is terrible as it covers all of the major areas of the park where young children will be able to see this appalling language and pictures."
Nearly a decade of volunteer work undermined
The Friends group has spent nearly a decade working to improve and maintain the park through volunteer efforts. Ms Highway said the incident was particularly disappointing given ongoing challenges linked to development work at the site.
"This does the park's image and the massive amount of work we have done as a volunteer group for almost ten years no good at all," she said. "At a time when we have had to make huge adjustments to our schedule of work whilst trying to keep the public safe and updated because of the onsite development works, this has come as a shock and we can only apologise to the public for the acts of those who have graffitied the equipment."
Repair costs expected to reach hundreds of pounds
Among the damaged features was a mural wall created to mark the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. "The cost to repair the mural wall that was created for the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee alone will cost hundreds of pounds to do," Ms Highway added. The park's chess board was also vandalised.
The damage took place over the weekend of October 17 and 18. The Friends group is urging residents to help protect the park and report any information about those responsible to the authorities.
