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.
BBC News
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image copyrightDerbyshire Police
image captionOne group said they had travelled more than 15 miles to the town, despite government advice to stay at home
Eight people have been fined after scenes in a tourist hotspot resembled a bank holiday , police have said.
Officers said countless numbers of visitors to Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, were asked to adhere to lockdown rules.
Police told a group of friends who drove 40 minutes to buy fish and chips to find a chippy somewhere local .
The parish council believed the crowds were drawn by the weekend s fine weather and said residents had been worried by the turnout.