Shocking damage teenagers caused in Stockton park toilets

Staff from the café at Ropner Park were stunned to see the damage caused by the group of children, understood to be between the ages of 13 and 15.

The teenagers went into the men’s toilets at the café and pulled a sink away from the wall.

The yobs then preceded to stuff the other sinks with tissues and flooded the floor.

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The group of youths, said to have comprised 15 teenagers, was spotted by eyewitnesses causing more antisocial behaviour in the park later.

Cleveland Police confirmed officers had been informed of the criminal damage and are investigating.

The damage was discovered by the cafe staff shortly after the teens left. Picture: TINA WHITESIDE

Tina Whiteside, treasurer for Friends of Ropner Park, said: "Fifteen teenagers came in the park aged between about 13 and 15 years old, and they wandered around looking for trouble.

"Staff in the cafe heard something going on and when they went in to check they found all the damage had been done.

“I think they were looking for trouble. It was the staff in the café that found the damage to the sink in the toilets. I couldn’t believe it when they told me.”

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“They pulled the sink away from the wall and put tissues in the sinks and turned the taps on, and flooded the floor. The enforcement team arrived pretty quickly so at least it was sorted quickly but we shouldn’t have to deal with this kind of thing.”

Since the event, she has put up some more signs about what to do if people spot antisocial behaviour in the park.

Tina said: “We’ve put some signs up with phone numbers on. If you see anything going on whatsoever, ring the numbers straight away, and then we can stop it.

"It's a lovely park and the Friends of Ropner Park do a lot to keep it that way. We want it to be an inclusive area.”

The treasurer also wanted to reassure the public that antisocial behaviour is not a common occurrence in the park, and that it is usually a very safe place for families to go.

She said: “It is rare that this kind of thing happens but of course it does happen sometimes. We want this to be a safe space so it’s such a shame that these kids have felt the need to cause trouble.”

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