Parents say children in Sherwood have been left ‘upset’ after a pirate ship at a playground burnt to the ground.
Pirate Play Park, Locscoe Road, Sherwood, is a themed playground for children and featured a rocking ship built on springs which children could ride on.
But the wooden panels of the ship, on the outside of a metal frame, went up in flames on Wednesday night, leaving the frame bare.
Notts Fire and Rescue Service said they attended the scene at midnight on Wednesday night (July 12) to put out the fire.
Nottingham City Council says an arsonist burnt down the pirate ship and caused £10,000 worth of damage.
The authority says it is working with Notts Police to find the culprit.
Residents say it may have been an act of deliberate vandalism – although this could not be confirmed by Notts Police this morning (July 14) as a spokesman said the force had not received a report of the incident.
Stafford-cooper Keenan wrote Facebook: “It’s just shocking that someone would do this to a children’s park.”
Erika Diaz Petersen wrote: “Families in the local area are truly saddened by this. Local children really loved that bouncy ship. I know I’ve sung ‘Row, row, row your boat’ (even though it was a sail boat) hundreds of times next to it with my two children.
“I’m sure many of our children will be saddened, confused and disillusioned when we try to explain to them that people would destroy something so well-loved for fun.”
Kerry Gawtry wrote: “Dreadful act of vandalism.”
Shell Max added: “This vandalism is just awful. Such a shame horrid people had to do this to innocent kids’ favourite little play area. CCTV needed?”
Nell Masey O’Neill wrote: “We’re so upset to find that someone has burnt down the wobbly ship at Pirate Park.”
She added: “My other half and our daughter have just come back and said it looked like fireworks.”
Nick Foard wrote: “How utterly stupid. My kids absolutely love that boat.
“I’ve had loads of ‘adventures’ on this ship with the kids setting sail to find treasure. As has already been noted, I’m trying to explain to children why someone would want to do this is incredibly difficult.”
Colin Barratt, chair of the Sherwood and Mapperley Park Neighbourhood Watch Association, called on local people to report incidents of anti-social behaviour to police when they happen.
He said: “In terms of the incident that happened I know that a lot of people have been upset about it.
“Sometimes people can go on social media but they do not report it to police when everybody’s so wired up on Facebook and Whatsapp.
“One of the messages we are trying to get across is that people should ring 101 to report an incident or 999 it is an emergency.
“When police know about descriptions they can move things on and build up a picture of what is going on.”
Notts Fire and Rescue Service said a crew from Arnold put out the fire.
A spokesman said: “A crew from Arnold Fire Station were called to the Pirate Park on Loscoe Road, in Nottingham, at midnight on Wednesday, July 13.
“Firefighters used one hose reel at the scene to tackle the fire, and had left the scene by 12.12am.”
Councillor Dave Trimble, the city council’s portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: “We are very disappointed and sad that someone would do this to one of our city’s much-loved parks and play areas, which has only recently been fully refurbished.
“This arsonist has caused approximately £10,000 worth of damage and we will work with the police to try to find the culprit. But we will make the area safe and look to repair or replace the pirate ship as soon as possible.”
