THE spate of mindless vandalism continues in Ross-on-Wye with damage being caused to the ‘Spirit of Ross’ mosaic at the town’s library.

The library staff were made aware of the incident, which occurred on Friday, April 10. And following the staff’s initial clean up, the incident was reported to Herefordshire Council and contractors for the local authority attended on Saturday to make the area safe by removing any loose pieces and securing the individual ceramic tiles for safekeeping.

Ross-on-Wye town councillors, who identified the issue on social media acted quickly to the incident and thanked local residents for promptly reporting the matter and praised the library staff for their swift action in dealing with the incident.

It is believed, but not confirmed, that glass bottles were thrown at the circular mural and that an investigation into the incident is on-going.

Ross Town Councillor Daniel Lister said that he has asked Town Council staff to liaise with Herefordshire Council and library staff regarding next steps and the repair process.

Cllr Lister said: “I am aware there has been some speculation that this may have been an act of vandalism.

“At this stage, this has not been confirmed, and I would urge caution to avoid unnecessary concern or the spread of unconfirmed information.

“For now, let’s focus on, that the issue was reported promptly, acted upon quickly by library staff, and followed up by councillors to ensure appropriate next steps are in progress, what a community we are.”

Cllr Ed O’Driscoll added: “I was disappointed to see damage to the ‘Spirit of Ross’ mural outside our library. Sadly it is believed bottles were thrown in an attempt to deliberately cause damage.

“Fortunately, the library staff have kept the pieces so they can be reinstated at a later date. Once again, we’re literally ‘picking up the pieces’ of mindless vandalism.”