Vandals prompt village to look at installing CCTV

A village could look at installing CCTV cameras after several recent vandalism incidents, including graffiti on gravestones and the ruining of a junior football team’s goals.

The only recently installed new play area in Pinchbeck was also graffitied on in recent days.

And the parish council chairman Coun James Avery said it would look at options including CCTV.

“It is disappointing that a small number of vandals feel it is necessary to deface, or attempt to destroy, things in our village which form the fabric of our society.

“The churchyard has been a particular target, where a small number of headstones have been spray painted.

“What the hooligans fail to realise is that these headstones represent the loved ones of local families.

“Unfortunately, there are never any witnesses to these activities making it hard for the police to prosecute.

“If these individuals have no respect for the dead, they certainly have no respect for the living either.

“Rotten Row playing field seems to have been a target too. The recently installed play equipment has been spray painted, and also the goal nets used by South Lincolnshire Swifts U9s football team have been vandalised.

“Given I am also a district councillor for Pinchbeck and Surfleet, myself, Sally Slade and Elizabeth Sneath have offered to replace the goal nets for the forthcoming season from our designated ward budgets.

“The parish council is looking at what options are available to reduce or prevent this type of anti-social behaviour.

“CCTV might be an option. It may not prevent further damage in the short term, but could assist the police in identifying specific individuals.

“That may help reduce the level of anti-social behaviour in the longer term.

“There is a cost attached to this, aligned to the ongoing problem that the vandals simply find other targets.”

The South Lincolnshire Swifts U9s goals that were destroyed had been paid for by the families of the players.

A spokesman for the club said: “This means that the team will have buy new goals as they are ours which we brought ourselves.

“The teams that have been using them are now unable to play down there, which would be 20 children without a place to play.”