'Mindless damage!' Children believed to be behind devastating damage caused to adventure playground

On Wednesday, August 10, the latest in a series of attacks at Sycamore Adventure in Dudley took place at around 10.10pm.

Officers called to the centre found a boy, aged 12, and have since spoken to both him and his parents.

Police are also continuing to review CCTV footage and have appealed for anyone with information to come forwards.

Sycamore Adventure offers youngsters, whatever their ability, the opportunity to experience indoor and outdoor play and is much-loved by the community.

The latest incident has been described as "the worst one yet" and has resulted in a lot of damage which will need funding in order to be put right.

Donna Haddock, volunteer at Sycamore Adventure: "We normally just brush ourselves off put on a smile and carry on as normal for the children.

"This was the worst one yet and caused an awful lot of mindless damage that is going to take a little more than a few nails and wood to be able to fix.

"We rely heavily on customer donations to keep the centre going so have little in the way of money to now fix the damage caused from this latest break-in.

A fundraising page has been set up to help the centre recover from the damage and has seen more than £1,500 raised.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "We're investigating after children were reported causing damage at Sycamore Green Adventure Centre, Sycamore Green, Dudley, at around 10.10pm on Wednesday (10 August).

"Officers attended and found a boy, aged 12, at the location; we’ve spoken to him and his parents. Our enquiries continue and we’ll be reviewing CCTV.

"Anyone with information can contact us via Live Chat at our website, or by calling 101, quoting investigation number 20/720440/22."