Vandals set fire to park toilets

One portable lavatory was damaged in the incident, which came less than 24 hours before the Christmas lights switch-on event in the town centre.

The blaze, which is thought to have been started deliberately, was dealt with by crews at around 8.40pm.

It follows an earlier attack in September which caused around £10,000 worth of damage to the galleon ship in the play park - a key area within the £1.3 million regeneration scheme.

The portable facilities are currently the only toilets at the park while construction on permanent lavatories in the clock tower building remains ongoing.

Commenting on the incident, Carrick councillor David Hilditch said the news was ‘frustrating’.

“I was at the scene on Friday night and it was disappointing to see what had happened; one of the toilets was badly damaged on the inside and the roof had been damaged as well,” he added.

“Obviously we’re in the process of getting permanent toilets in at Marine Gardens but we still have to maintain some sort of toilet facility there.

“Hopefully this incident is just a one-off, but it’s frustrating as there doesn’t seem to be a month going by without some report of vandalism in that area.

“It all links in to the activity which is taking place in the likes of North Road, Prince William Way, Taylor’s Avenue and the town centre.

“It’s an issue that we need to take up with the PSNI to see if there is some sort of operation or remedial action that would put a stop to this.”

Council Parks and Countryside officer Stephen Daye confirmed that toilet facilities are still available at the park.

“One of the portable toilets was damaged but we should hopefully be able to get that repaired as soon as possible,” he added.

Meanwhile, police indicated they are investigating an incident of criminal damage at the park involving a number of unknown youths.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has any information to contact them on 0845 600 8000.

Alternatively, if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details, they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111.