Council workers pull out of Greysteel due to vandals

Workmen from Causeway Coast and Glens Council had been in the village to complete works in the Greysteel Glen area, mainly the erection of fencing “to deter the use of quads and unauthorised entry to the Glen”.

However, Council say the fence has been vandalised each evening after workmen have left and “for this reason work to this fence have been stopped at present”.

Sinn Fein councillor Dermot Nicholl said: “I’m led to believe this is a group of teenagers, boys and girls, and surely people in the community must know who they are. They have to challenge them.

“Parents need to be aware that it is potentially their kids who are wreaking havoc in the community. Parents need to know where their children are and what they are doing and, from what I’m told, this is not outsiders causing the damage; that this is people in the community who are responsible.

“People have to stand up and be counted. Now we are approaching school holidays, is this what we are going to be faced with, week after week? It’s shameful.

“It seems as if there are nothing, but negative headlines making the press recently about Greysteel, and for all the wrong reasons, and this is not what people in Greysteel want or deserve.”

On Tuesday the play park was closed for the day because of weekend vandalism. A see-saw was broken and a number of bolts were removed from seats of the swings; damage costing approximately £200.

Raymond O’Hara from Greysteel Community Association said: “We are tired appealing to whoever is insistent on wrecking their own community to stop. They are destroying it for the young children who love using the park.”

Mr O’Hara added: “We may have to close at the weekends if this continues, and that’s no good for anyone.

“The kids are missing out, but we may have no option but to close at weekends if they keep on damaging it.”