This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
Two young people who caused hundreds of pounds of damage to the public toilets at Seaclose Park will be cleaning them as part of their court order.
The two appeared at Newport (Isle of Wight) Magistrates Court earlier this year and were referred to the Isle of Wight Youth Offending Team for nine months. As part of this, an agreement has been reached that they will be working with council cleaning contractors to see the amount of work that goes into ensuring public conveniences remain open for use.
Nearly £750 of damage
Amongst the damage caused to the toilets in October 2012 was a cistern pulled off the wall, tiles smashed, fires lit in the hand washing units and the disabled toilet broken into.
The damage cost the council nearly £750 to repair, and this cost has now been awarded to the local authority in compensation as part of the pair’s sentence.
Metcalfe: “Mindless acts of vandalism will not be tolerated”
John Metcalfe, Isle of Wight Council deputy director for economy and environment said; “Any form of vandalism impacts on the local community. It is pleasing that this pair will be cleaning the very toilets they damaged as part of their community service so they can see first hand the efforts that go into ensuring facilities like these remain clean and open for the public.
“I hope this sends a message that mindless acts of vandalism will not be tolerated.”
Due to legal reasons, the names and identities of the two young people cannot be revealed.
Update: Minor amendments made to the copy following a revised press release from the council.
‘Punishment’ replaced with ‘court order’. ‘An agreement has been reached’ added to third para. ‘Youths’ replaced with ‘young people’.
Image: cogdogblog under CC BY 2.0
