Yobs trash new park tennis court in Great Barr

Apr 25 2009 by Mike Bradley, Birmingham Mail

VANDALS have gone a wrecking spree at a tennis court less than a fortnight after it opened.

The Red House Park tennis courts in Great Barr were opened earlier this month at a cost of £40,000 and to the delight of residents.

They have spent years asking calling for more leisure facilities to be installed in the area.

But last weekend yobs scaled the fences of the courts before ripping nets from their posts and leaving a trail of rubbish in their wake, causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

Today, campaigners want new talks with the council in an effort to end the troubles.

Bill Gunn, aged 77, who is chairman of the Friends of Red House Park group, said: “It beggars belief that this has happened so quickly after the courts opened. More needs to be done.

“This is just the latest incident. The whole area has been targeted in the past.

“We had a £5,000 children’s area built here but within weeks the swings were broken.

“With the tennis courts, we received £40,000 funding from the council. We worked hard to get this, and had petitioned the council for these improvements.

“They helped us out, regenerated the entire area, and this is the thanks we get from these mindless yobs.