Eco loo in Easebourne Park damaged as 'depressing' spate of youth vandalism continues

The vandalism took place between 7pm and 9.30pm on Friday, July 21. Two youths on mountain bikes were seen to enter the park with black rucksacks and disappeared around the back of the eco loo. The following morning, one of the windows was found to have been pushed in, and the guttering was damaged.

The two youths were later observed meeting a small white Volkswagen car in the car park, without their rucksacks, returning to the rear of the loos before returning to the rear of the loos and leaving without their rucksacks. Later, they returned to collect their rucksacks and left.

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A spokesperson for Easebourne Parish Council said the CCTV footage has been submitted to Sussex Police for review – which may lead to a prosecution.

"We have quickly replaced the window so the loo can be opened, as the left hand loo remains closed after the previous damage. It’s incredibly sad that we have seen a string of vandalism in the Park in recent weeks after so long without this antisocial behaviour,” they added.

The damage was discovered just days after one of the toilet’s doors was rendered unusable by a different group of youths on Friday, July 14.

“Our CCTV system monitors the park 24/7 and we will always share evidence of vandalism and suspicious activity with the Police. Antisocial behaviour and vandalism takes up valuable time for the Parish Council and costs money that would be far better spent elsewhere. As well as the cost of repairs, we are now stepping up our contracted security patrols as well as asking the Police to carry out ad-hoc visits.”

Anyone with information about the incident, or who believes they can identify the vandals, is asked to contact the police online or by calling 101. They can also share their information with the parish council itself by emailing: [email protected]

Officially opened in 2018, Easebourne Park was designed to blend in with the surrounding National Park and includes a mixture of natural oak dens, trails and traditional play.