Town’s skatepark is vandalised

Tuesday 22nd July 2008, 10:50AM BST.

A commemorative plaque put up a in Shropshire town to mark the site where the world’s first passenger locomotive was built has been vandalised days after it was unveiled.

Yobs targeted the plaque, which was unveiled in Doctor’s Lane, Bridgnorth, last Friday, with a sharp object.

And in a separate attack vandal-plagued Church Stretton skatepark has been closed indefinitely after watchdogs declared it unsafe for the second year running.

The Bridgnorth plaque, which cost more than £1,000, was put up to mark the location of the foundry where Richard Trevithick’s Catch-Me-Who-Can was built.

The unveiling ceremony was part of last weekend’s Trevithick 200 celebrations, which saw thousands of visitors in the town.

Michael Pead, of Bridgnorth Civic Society, which funded the plaque, said: “Words fail me. We don’t know exactly what’s happened yet or what we’re going to do about it.”

In Church Stretton the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents condemned the skatepark as unsafe following an inspection.

The skatepark, on the A49, is a regular target for vandals who have previously put nails in the ramps and daubed the site with obscene images and graffiti.

Town clerk Christine Harvey said: “The council will be discussing plans for it, but it’s a matter of getting more funding.”

Parents are holding a meeting at the Buck’s Head pub to discuss the skatepark at 7pm this Thursday.

View more: Bridgnorth news, South Shropshire news.