Vandals strike – again – at Hermitage Park in Helensburgh

This time, according to a post on the 'Helensburgh Hermitage Park' Facebook page, a new bin was smashed up and new fencing ripped out of the ground last weekend.

The park's new bins cost nearly £900 to install.

The damage is the latest in a series of theft and vandalism incidents in the park stretching back to the summer of 2018.

Three acer trees were stolen from the park's work compound in May of last year, and then in September, vandals caused damage estimated at around £15,000 to the new 'Passivhaus' pavilion being built close to the park's Sinclair Street entrance.

READ MORE: Vandals cause damage worth £15,000 at park's new pavilion

In November vandals tried to set light to newly-installed benches and picnic tables, and in February a memorial tree worth £500 was uprooted and removed from the park without permission.

The latest incident has sparked a renewed call from the Friends of Hermitage Park, who are working on the park's regeneration with Argyll and Bute Council, to the public for support for an online appeal to meet the cost of installing CCTV throughout the facility.

Click here to donate to the Friends' park security fund appeal.

The park's regeneration began in early 2017, and much of the physical work is nearly complete.

READ MORE: £500 memorial tree stolen from Hermitage Park

The final major piece of work – construction of a car park and landscaping around the new pavilion – will, the Friends hope, be completed by July, while the park's manager and supervisor, along with volunteers from the Friends and other groups, are working on the horticulture side of the new-look facility.