OFFICIALS have been forced to close a play area in the evenings to stop vandals wrecking it.

The £72,000 Helford Road play area, in Peterlee, was opened last October by Peterlee Town Council.

It was the sixth such play area to be set up by the authority to benefit local youngsters.

To enhance its appeal, thousands of pounds was spent on new equipment, including swings, a roundabout, and a multi-use structure.

However, the site has become a vandals' target, forcing the council to shut the gates at 7pm each night.

To explain the necessity, it has put up a sign blaming those who are responsible for the damage.

Town council clerk John Arthur said: "There's obviously a gang of youths going round and Helford Road seems to be taking all the damage.

"I think the vandalism happens late at night and we are not going to let it happen. It's spoiling it for all the other kids."

Mr Arthur said that while incidents were infrequent to begin with, they had become more regular with the onset of summer.

Among the most serious acts of vandalism has been the digging up and burning of safety surfaces.

Mr Arthur said that as well as having to pay for repairs, the council was finding it hard to ensure children's safety when using the park.

"When a piece of equipment is damaged, you can't stop kids playing on it, so the whole play area ends up being shut," he said.

"Sometimes, the repair relies on the manufacturer sending parts, so it ends up with the play area being closed for a number of days.

"These aren't supervised play areas, so we can't risk a child being hurt."

Mr Arthur said the park's opening hours would be reviewed if the situation improved.

He said: "They are good facilities and if we are having to keep closing them because of vandalism, it frustrates everybody."