Playground equipment stolen at Lake Rotomā

A swing basket appears to have been stolen from the playground. Photo / Rotorua Lakes Council Facebook page

Playground equipment "worth thousands of dollars" has been stolen from a community playground at Lake Rotomā.

In a post on its Facebook page on Tuesday, Rotorua Lakes Council said it was a "sad to report" the theft from the playground at Matahi.

"The items taken are worth thousands of dollars and replacements need to come from overseas so unfortunately the community won't be able to make use of those parts of the playground for a while."

The post reminded the community to "keep their eyes and ears open" and report any suspicious behaviour in public spaces.

The playground before the theft. Photo / Rotorua Lakes Council Facebook page

"It's pretty stink that the community will now miss out, especially in our rural and lakes areas where there are only a few public play spaces nearby for tamariki."

In the post, the council said replacement parts were on order and the playground would be looking "ship-shape" again in time for summer.

In May, the Rotorua Daily Post reported glass had been dumped at the Susan St playground, an act described by one parent as "disgusting".

The council is consulting on what to do about the glass issue, with a survey open on its website until Monday.