Camera captures fountain vandals

Vandals have again struck Masterton's new town square squirting pink dye into the fountain - but this time their actions have been caught on camera.

The dye was spread by the actions of the fountain onto expensive tiles laid around the fountain and paths.

The council has called in experts to determine whether the tiles and concrete fountain surround are permanently stained.

High quality images of the vandalism were captured by a security camera which has not long been in place and the council's parks and facilities manager Grant Hathaway said the close up images will be shown to police and a prosecution sought.

Not only did the camera capture the weekend vandalism it also recorded an incident soon after that could have left an indelible impression on the perpetrator.

Mr Hathaway said just after the fountain vandals had moved off another person entered the camera's visual field and leapt into the fountain, probably unaware that by this time it was spewing out heavily-dyed water.

"So, perhaps he also can be easily identified," he said.

The security camera that caught the crimes had been supplied, on loan, by deputy mayor Graham McClymont while the council awaits a consignment of high definition equipment to be permanently installed.

Mr Hathaway said the local authority would be seeking a criminal prosecution and reparations for the damage caused.

Masterton mayor Lyn Patterson said the key message from the vandalism was that the community would not tolerate or accept it.

The fountain vandalism follows an incident a few days earlier when night-time vandals attacked young trees planted in the square.

Several saplings were snapped off and police who arrived at the scene found empty alcohol bottles strewn about the square.

The same night vandals had also attacked young trees growing along Essex St and had damaged cages used to protect the saplings.

One of the heavy metal cages had been left lying in the middle of the road.

Mrs Patterson said although the fountain vandalism was appalling she had been more distressed with the snapping off of saplings in the square. "That was destroying living things that take time to grow."