Police investigating Derbyshire Dales incidents of public benches vandalised with tools
Derbyshire Police are investigating a series of vandalism cases which have seen public benches damaged around Matlock, Matlock Bath and Darley Dale.
Tuesday, 4th May 2021, 11:16 pm
The first case was reported in early March, and targeted seats owned by Matlock Bath Parish Council on the Riverside which had just been refurbished at a cost of around £1,000.
The seats appeared to have been attacked with an angle grinder then repositioned, and after the refurbishment contractor had carried out emergency repairs, the benches were damaged again the following night.
Council chairman Peter Baranek: “We’ve been seeing a lot of vandalism targeted at Covid safety measures in recent months but I think this could not be described as passing vandalism. The benches were bolted to the pavement.