Gortin Glen opening hours under review due to vandalism

OPENING hours at a forest park in Tyrone are being reviewed due to ongoing vandalism at the popular beauty spot, it has been announced.

The move comes after Fermanagh and Omagh District Council (FODC) reported further incidents of vandalism at Gortin Glen Forest Park.

Over recent days, a number of litter bins have been damaged and some signage within the park removed or damaged.

This follows on from the spraying of graffiti and damage to public litter bins within the forest park at the end of May.

FODC chair, Errol Thompson, said, “The ongoing vandalism at Gortin Glen Forest Park is very concerning.

“The forest park is currently open for long hours during the summer months so people can visit the park late into the bright summer evenings.

“Given the ongoing wanton destruction of amenities within the park, council officers are now reviewing opening hours. Unfortunately, if this type of destructive behaviour continues, we may be faced with no option but to close the park earlier in the evening to try to address this issue.

“Obviously, this is not the course of action any of us would wish to take and I appeal to those taking part in this destructive behaviour to stop so that everyone can enjoy all that the forest park has to offer.

“I commend the council’s Parks and Open Spaces team for their swift action to repair this most recent damage, however this all comes at a cost. Vandalism is destructive, disruptive, and is a cost to ratepayers as the council deals with clean up and repair works.”

Mr Thompson added, “Any wilful damage to council property is reported to the PSNI and the council actively pursues prosecution. Anyone with information on these latest incidents of vandalism should contact the PSNI.”