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Search forVandals' spree is forcing out contractors at city BMX track
Wednesday, July 02, 2008, 07:30
Attacks at the Alvaston Park attraction started nine weeks ago and, during the latest incident, at the weekend, windows of diggers were smashed for the second time and equipment stolen.
When work on the track first started, it was due to be completed by yesterday but the project has been pushed further and further back and is now two weeks behind schedule.
Contractors said days which they should have been working had been wasted clearing up the mess and replacing equipment.
It is hoped the track will be one of the best in the country and will be used to train 2012 Olympic hopefuls. Once completed, it will be used by an estimated 3,000 schoolchildren a year.
Jason Carpenter, of Cardiff-based contractors Dragon Downhill, said the damage would cost about £7,000 to repair.
He said: “When I arrived, after driving four hours from Cardiff, I had to spend two hours clearing up glass before we could start work.
“They are not any old windows, they cost about £1,500 each.
“We put shutters on the machines before we left but they had been ripped off and the windows smashed.”
Mr Carpenter said that at the start of each week there was litter on the site and damage to vehicles. On one occasion a £250 hose used to damp down the track was cut and stolen.
The £85,000 track has been funded by a grant from Sport England to Cycle Derby, the team set up to promote cycling in the city.
Mr Carpenter said they now planned to leave the site a week before they had intended to because of the repeated vandalism.
“We are just in a rush to get out now,” he said. “We will still complete the job but not to the standard we wanted to.
“We want to do a good job because it is our project but it is going to end up costing us money to be here because the excess is £1,000 each time we claim. We're just fed up now. It is costing too much money.”
Mark Smith, training and promotions co-ordinator for Cycle Derby, said the money for the repairs might have to come out of the project's contingency fund, which was intended to be used for equipment like bikes and helmets.
He said: “We are trying to provide something for free for the kids and this is how they repay us.
“The contractors are feeling really despondent about it, which is not surprising really, when they come back from the weekend to find glass all over the track.
“We have some exceptionally talented youngsters at the BMX club and there is a real hope they could be at Olympic standard by 2012.
“They need quality facilities and quality coaches to get there.
“The Cycle Derby team wanted to leave a legacy for the people in Derby and it might be taken away from us.”
A Derbyshire police spokeswoman said the incidents were being investigated.
“We are certainly aware of some problems in the area and have increased patrols,” she said.
fed up: Mark Smith, training promotions co-ordinator for Cycle Derby, with one of the diggers which has had its windows smashed
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