‘We will prosecute’, Market Drayton vandals warned

Mark Whittle was speaking after it was discovered someone had tried to start a fire at the town’s Scout hut off Elizabeth Court, while part of a public toilet block remains closed after a toilet was ripped from its moorings last month.

The Scout group has since announced plans to install a CCTV system.

He also warned that repairs to the toilet block near the swimming pool off Newport Road would cost thousands of pounds, and that if the town’s facilities are continually damaged they may have to be closed this summer.

Would-be arsonists tried to start a fire at the hut used by the 2nd Market Drayton Scouts Group with paper and loose wood pushed up against a wooden structure, which had recently been cleaned out and re-wired to be used for activities.

CCTV installation

Group Scout leader Ian Windler said the damage was discovered at the start of May when the group returned from their Easter break.

He said: “The actual burning isn’t a massive amount, it’s probably about a metre high by a half a metre across.

“There is evidence that they have tried to put wood and paper through a mesh around the wooden hut and then tried to light that. The paper wouldn’t have blown in there as the mesh is too small.

“That seems to have been unsuccessful as we think the wood might have some kind of flame-proofing.

“We’re going to install CCTV this week, we’re prepared to do that as we want to safeguard the children and the building that we’ve got.

"It's disappointing that someone would do this, we're all volunteers and we rely on the goodwill of the people to help us and the young people.

"They also didn't consider whether there was anybody in the building at the time.

"It's a great concern to us."

Councillor Whittle said the town council would push for prosecutions, adding: “We will prosecute, we have to send a message to get them to stop doing this. If anybody knows who is doing this, please put a letter through the door of the town hall.”

'Appalled'

The 2nd Market Drayton Scout Group moved to Elizabeth Court in 2000, and celebrated its 75th anniversary there in 2017.

Pauline Dee, county president of Shropshire Scouts, said: "I'm just appalled that anyone would do it. I wonder about some people with vandalism, what do people get out of it?

"It's a wonderful facility. The leaders work so hard so that the young people have such a good quality of life.

"All these people volunteer to raise funds so that these facilities can be provided, and for someone to get it into their heads to vandalise it is shocking."

Vandals have also broken chairs at Market Drayton Town Football Club's ground on two occasions this year and started fires in public toilets.

Meanwhile in March a man was attacked by three youths when he told them to stop spray-painting a wall in Clive Road.