A series of holes which have recently appeared around Delancey Park are being blamed on youngsters trying to create ramps for their mountain bikes.
The holes, in a small patch of woodland in the corner of the park at the top of Mont Morin, appeared to have been recently dug, when Express visited the park on Tuesday.
St Sampson’s Constables posted earlier this week that there had been “a spate of vandalism” in the park in recent week, with areas turned into “ramps and hollows”.
Anyone seeing anyone digging up the park was asked to contact the Police and Constables.
Respect
Sam Herridge, Head of Recreation Services for Education, Sport, and Culture, said it was “very disappointing when vandalism happens on one of our premises”.
The Committee, which manages the park with the States Property Unit, was “working with the St Sampson’s Constables to ensure the park remains a place for all the community to enjoy”, Ms Herridge said.
“We’d urge members of the community using public facilities to treat them with respect so they can be enjoyed by islanders without needing repairs or mitigations in place,” she added.
A local resident commenting on Facebook said he “personally caught these boys in the act”, using tools to dig holes in a “very prominent location”.
However, he said he was met with “a load of abuse”, when he pointed out that digging the holes and riding on the paths was against park rules.
“As I left I was called all sorts of names,” he said, adding: “It is a shame that they can’t ride in the park, but they were awful when I spoke to them.”
Ms Herridge said: “Organised and planned cycling events run by the Guernsey Velo Club take place in the park, and children under the age of ten are also permitted to cycle in the park aligned with the Places of Recreation Ordinance.”
Express reported last year on plans to build a new ‘pump track’ for bikes on the site of the park’s abandoned tennis courts.
Cycling is explicitly banned in some areas of the park, including the Children’s playground.