Mother angry after playground slathered in lube

A brand new playground in Plymouth, Devon, was coated with lubricant in a dangerous stunt by mindless yobs. Angry Clarice Thacker discovered the vandalism at the £40,000 park in Frogmore Field when she took her two-year-old boy Sonny along for one of their regular afternoons playing on the equipment.

After noticing Sonny slipping on climbing frame steps, Clarice realised the whole play park has been tarnished with the slippery substance. “At first I thought he’d just slipped, but then he went down the slide and he absolutely flew down it. Then his clothes and his hands were covered in lubricant.



“Another lady was there with her grandchild and she thought it was glue, but it was like jelly and we realised it was lubricant. I found an empty packet of lubricant on the way out and took a picture of it before I put it in the bin. It’s disgusting that someone would do this.” And Clarice says it’s just good fortune that Sonny, nor any other child, was badly hurt. “He could really have hurt himself when he slipped from the bars. And it was all over the climbing frame.

“We phoned the council straight away and they said they’d be out to clean it up.” A spokesman for Plymouth City Council said: “We take very seriously any reports of damage to our playgrounds and deal with them as quickly as possible. It’s disappointing that this act of vandalism has taken place on a playground that is primarily designed for younger children. All our playgrounds are cleaned and inspected on a weekly basis, but we would encourage anyone who finds any damage to contact us.”