Police step up patrols after woods are targeting by vandals

POLICE are to step up patrols after a children’s outdoor woodland school site was trashed by vandals.
Bright Woods Forest School, which was set up in Deepdale Wood, near Startforth, offers hands-on outdoor activities to youngsters.
However, vandals smashed their way into a wooden store, took equipment and then torched in the on-site fire pit.
Honia Devlin, who set up Bright Woods in April last year, described the incident, which happened sometime overnight on February 3 or the morning of February 4, as heartbreaking.
At this month’s Police and Communities Together (Pact) meeting, PCSO Darren Miles said  there had been a number of reports of anti-social behaviour in the Deepdale Wood area.
He said it was believed groups of people had moved across from the bandstand area of Flatts Wood, on the Barnard Castle side of the river, to Deepdale because it offered more shelter.
PCSO Miles said there had also been reports of underage drinking, however, in patrols to date no evidence of alcohol had been found.
He said police were going to make anti-social behaviour in Deepdale Wood a priority for the next month, with increased patrols in the area.
A SECOND Pact priority will see police and volunteers carrying out community speedwatch operations at Middleton-in-Teesdale during the coming month.