A leading councillor has expressed disbelief after Basildon District Council was forced to replace a set of vandalised dog bins at a Wickford park for the second time since the New Year.

Cllr Tony Ball, of Wickford North, is furious at the vandalism in Shotgate Park and especially angered by the damage to its dog bins.

He said: "This level of vandalism and graffiti seems to be peculiar to Wickford.

"The people who do this don't seem to care about the impact on residents and to vandalise dog bins seems a ridiculous thing to do.

"At the moment the vandals are either ripping them off the poles and throwing them all over the park or vandalising them to such an extent that they are unusable.

"This is now the second time they have had to be replaced since Christmas.

"There has been other damage to the park, but the dog bin situation has a serious impact on the environment."

A council spokesman said all parks within the district experienced problems with vandalism at some time or other.

He said: "Shotgate Park is where we are having problems at the moment, but it is not the only place where there is a problem with vandalism.

"Unfortunately dog bins are very susceptible to vandalism, but we have been able to replace the damaged bins this week."

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