Children’s trampoline in Hayes Square, Cranbrook, falls victim to vandals

Council will pay to have trampoline removed and this will cost less than to keep repairing the damage caused by vandals

A trampoline in a Cranbrook children’s play area is to be removed after repeated vandalism made it too expensive to maintain.

The trampoline in Hayes Square currently needs a new jumping bed and springs, at a quoted cost of more than £1,200. The price quote for removing it, filling in the hole and re-planting grass was £782.

At the town council meeting on Monday, December 17, Cllr Ray Bloxham said there were safety concerns about the trampoline as well as cost implications.

He said people had been tampering with the springs in a way that might not be noticed by a child playing on it, and there was the potential for an accident.

The council is looking into the possibility of replacing it with a more “robust” piece of play equipment. It has asked the company which supplied the rest of the Hayes Square equipment for ideas and costings, and is awaiting a response.