Racist graffiti sprayed on playground

Feb 3 2010 By Jack Abell

A CHILDREN'S playground has been defaced by racist vandals.

The play area on Gold Hill Common was vandalised over the weekend, with racist graffiti including swastikas spray painted there.

The graffiti appeared between Friday and Saturday, and was cleared by the parish council on Monday afternoon, but many children and their parents were still exposed to it.

Jenny Lewis, 34, a mother-of-two, went to the playground with her young children on Sunday morning.

She said: "I quite often take the children there at the weekend and they absolutely love it. When we got there on Sunday morning I was appalled to see what had been written there.

"There were Nazi logos and all sorts of foul and abusive language. It was disgusting.

"Most of it was written on the floor but there was some on the rocking horse and in other places.

"It made me feel sick. The children are too young to know what it all meant, which was lucky, but I took them straight home. I didn't want them looking at it and asking me questions abut it.

"I couldn't believe what had happened. What sort of sick idiots would do something like that to an area designed for the enjoyment of children."

There were also reports of racist language sprayed in other areas of Chalfont St Peter on the same night, including part of the St Peter's precinct development at the bottom of the village.

A police statement said: "Graffiti, some of which was of a racist nature, was spray panted on walls and benches and children's play equipment at Gold Hill Common, the Community Centre and on telephone junction boxes.

"This is part of an emerging pattern in the area and police are appealing for help in identifying the offenders."

If you have any information on the incident, contact the police on 0845 8 505 505, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.