Barnsley Council is appealing for witnesses after a spate of thefts from its Milton Forge skate park in Hoyland.

Large metal panels, which provide parts of the park’s surface, have gone missing, resulting in the council spending over £1000 in recent weeks having them replaced. The panels are also welded and riveted in place.

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Parks officer Jo Birch said: "The panels are heavy and take a couple of people to lift them. Initially some suggested vandalism, but these sheets are disappearing off site completely. One went missing on Tuesday, and there were tyre tracks leading up to the park. We’re thinking people are turning up in a van late at night, prising them off, and probably using them to build a shed, or maybe trying to cash them in at a scrap yard. They’ll be disappointed, as the total scrap value for all four sheets is less than £20."

(CD)