Works of art walkway blighted by yobs

But more than 14 years on, a walkway filled with sculptures has become a playground for thugs on motorbikes. The Black Country Route sculptures in Bilston have been hit by gangs, leaving one of the pieces badly damaged by fire.

Calls were made today for increased security to stop youths getting into the site at night and causing the damage to the walkway, which runs between Lunt Road and Darlaston Lane alongside the busy Black Country Route.

The 19 sculptures, which include steel monoliths reflecting Bilston's engineering history and steel columns based on people from Victorian photographs of Bilston, were put up as part of the landscaping to provide points of reference along the road.

The final section of the road, aimed at opening up derelict and under-used land for development, was opened by the then European commissioner for transport, Neil Kinnock, in 1995.

The sculptures were made by different artists using various materials including yew wood for Julienne Dolphin Wilding's "Room", showing large chairs and a TV; Ashley Cartwright's oak roller seats and Robert Koenig's steel columns.

A walking route was opened that stretches for around half a mile and it is here the yobs have used their scrambler bikes to cause havoc.

Huge tyre treads have ripped out chunks of earth, while gates designed to keep them out have been wrecked.

Bilston East councillor Bert Turner said today: "It is a very sorry state of affairs and we will now have to get this area cleaned up.

"When it was built it was done so for the right reasons – so that people could walk along and admire some beautiful works of art. It was a lovely sight to see. Now we are going to have to look at what we can do to make it more secure which is a real shame."

The last of the sculptures on the route, on the Vulcan Road roundabout, was by artist Eilis O'Connell and is called The Tower of Light.

It stands more than 50 feet tall and is a stainless steel cone intertwined with fibre optic cables that change colour at night.

In 1998 it was switched on by Wolverhampton nursery school heroine Lisa Potts.

Other highlights along the sculpture route include Richard Criddle's sculptural wall grills - seven grills with references to Bilston's social and industrial past. Mr Criddle used cast metal panels designed by pupils from Bilston Education Centre, which are set into a fence opposite Bilston bus station.

Phillip Hardaker and Helen Sayer's crested newt was placed at Bailey's Pool and is made from low glazed porcelain pieces showing different animals and plants.

The Black Country Route is the major road linking the A4123 Birmingham New Road with the M6. The purpose for building it was to open up derelict and under used land for development.