Walsall nursery trashed again
A Walsall nursery has been left heartbroken after it was trashed by vandals for the second time in a week.
The nursery, with the help of the local community, had begun cleaning up the damage and was preparing to reopen ahead of the new school term on September 4.
But on Thursday afternoon the nursery was targeted again, with windows being smashed, paint strewn everywhere and excrement again being left.
Tots Care owner Stella Pettifer, who has run the facility for more than two decades, told the Express & Star: "I am drained, absolutely drained. They have totally trashed the place again. They have smashed windows and strewn paint everywhere.
"We opened up Thursday morning from the nights before damage and then went out. We came back about five hours later and it was back in a terrible state.
"What I cannot understand is that we had nothing left, so they brought their own stuff with them to do the damage. I cannot get my head around it.
"The local people have helped us like you would not believe. One family who clearly did not have a lot went to Poundland and must have spent at least £30 on us. It reduced me to tears."
Asked about when the nursery could reopen, Ms Pettifer, 54, added: "We have get to wait for cleaning to be done. Because of the excrement the council says the site needs to be professionally cleaned.
"Once that is done we can work on the garden and we cannot reopen until that is done as the children need to get fresh air. We were scheduled to open on September 4 but I think it is unlikely we will make that."
Travellers had been on Swannies Field, next to the nursery, but moved on on Thursday night to the new Oak Park Leisure Centre site.
Councillor Ian Robertson, who represents the Blakenall ward where the nursery is based, said: "The nursery has been persistently pestered by the people who were on the site.
"I can't say I am too impressed with the police's response. There were two vulnerable people running the nursery who rang 999 but did not get assistance. The response was too slow and should have been more immediate. They needed support, they were under attack from those on the site.
"What they could not take away from the site they have trashed. The nursery has had to throw away quite a lot of stuff because of the excrement.
"The community is doing what it can to get the nursery back open as soon as possible."
The nursery caters for around 85 children a week during school term time.