Councillor Hannah Lerego called on the police to take action against the vandals who caused hundreds of pounds of damage to the Ross-on-Wye Sports Centre during the May Bank Holiday weekend.

She said the individuals responsible should apologise for the damage, and pay for it to be repaired, and then receive a lifetime ban from the Club’s grounds.

Councillor Lerego said that the four vandals had been identified, as they had posted a video of themselves causing the damage. Their names and pictures had been given to the police immediately. She said:?“Unfortunately, the Board and I are at a loss as to why 14 days after the crime they have not been arrested and the Board have had no follow up call.”

She told the Councillors that she has reported the matter to a member of staff at the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion, and asked him to investigate. She said:?“This has fallen short of what we expect from policing”

She added that the local Community Support Officers had been very supportive, making numerous visits to the Sports Centre but she added:?“Hindlip appear to have delayed the process and we want to know why.”

She said the incident had been allocated a crime number on June 9th and then passed to the city centre police to deal with.”

Cllr Lerego addressed Ross Town Council on Monday, June 12th as the Town Council representative on the Sports Centre Board.

She that in her view the Sports Centre Board deserve nothing less than a face to face apology from each of the vandals and restorative justice in the form of 100% compensation.

She said:?“Anti-social behaviour is growing in our community and there needs to be a zero tolerance approach. People cannot go smashing up other peoples belongings and expect to get away with it.”

She said that the vandalism during the May Bank Holiday weekend had been a kick in the teeth for the Board and the volunteers. She said that as well as being very frustrating for residents who are trying to provide a facility which is very well used by many members of the community, it also had far reaching financial implications.

She said that the Board do not want to put up membership fees as it is unfair to punish their loyal supporters for the ‘selfish actions of a destructive few.’

Cllr Lerego passed on the thanks from the Sports Centre Board to local residents for their response to vandalism at the Centre. She said that many individuals and local businesses had offered donations of money or time.

An anonymous donor offered to match fund anything the Centre raised, up to £250, which Cllr Lerego said would mean they would have £500 but this would still not be enough to repair all the damage. They will also be looking for more funding, such as a grant from Ross Town Council to help improve the security at the centre.

The Councillors were shocked at the news that the vandals had filmed themselves and Councillor Mayo suggested that the stocks could be reinstated at the Market Place.