TWO ward councillors have joined the condemnation of arsonists who set light to new playground equipment before it had even been installed.

As reported on Thurrock Nub News, Thurrock Council leader Rob Gledhill and Chadwell St Mary councillor Adam Carter were among the first to slam the arsonists after Satuirday evening's (13 August) attack at Orsett Heath.

Labour local councillors have also condemned the attacks and called on local residents to report any information about the attacks to the police.

Cllr Daniel Chukwu said: "Cllr Sara Muldowney and myself visited the site to see the extent of the damage. Many pieces of equipment due to be installed this week have been damaged beyond repair.

"Like most residents, we are absolutely devastated that a few individuals would ruin this opportunity for Chadwell's children to have a new play area on the Heath. Currently there are only a few small older pieces of equipment on the Heath that are suitable for toddlers and children under 5 so this playground was much needed."

"It has taken three years of hard work by the Chadwell Community Forum, supported by councillors and particularly Cllr Muldowney to get the funding for this project to go ahead and it is heartbreaking that this has happened before the playground was even properly installed.

"I think it is difficult for most of us to understand why anyone would want to destroy a children's playground, it is a despicable act, but unfortunately there is no doubt that these are deliberate acts of arson.

"The first attack happened around 1.30am on Thursday, 11 August and the second sometime after dark on Saturday.

"As the play site has now been targeted on two separate occasions, and it seems likely that the culprits would continue to target the site, for now, work on the installation has been suspended and materials are being removed from the site."

"All is not lost, as the equipment is insured and can be remanufactured, however it will take some time for the damaged equipment to be replaced.

"In the meantime, Cllr Muldowney and I are in ongoing discussions with council officers, the police and resident representatives about how to address the ASB issues so that installation can start again as soon as possible.

"We are calling on any residents who have any information to contact the police directly. Your report might be the piece of the jigsaw puzzle which helps the police to catch the people responsible.

"We would also ask anyone who has information about other recent arson attacks on Orsett Heath and Wickham Fields to come forward and report this information to the police, in case the attacks are linked."