Two large flower planters in a busy high street have been vandalised – just days after saplings in a nearby park were snapped in two.
The latest bout of horticultural vandalism happened overnight between Monday and Tuesday on London Road, when two of the three large tiered planters opposite Oxford Street were pushed over.
It follows cherry tree saplings being destroyed in Preston Park over the weekend.
The planters, which appeared in London Road and Portland Road last month, were rented for a short time, with money from the EU intended to “build back better” from the pandemic, and due to be removed in the near future.
A council spokesperson said: “We’re really disappointed that two of the flower planters on the London Road have been damaged.
“We had rented them on a temporary basis with money we were allocated from the national Welcome Back fund.
“It was one of a wide range of initiatives aimed at helping us welcome back visitors as Covid lockdown restrictions ease.
“We are tidying up the damage and removing the fallen planters to make the area safe.
“The planters were due to be returned in the near future. We are currently assessing whether it will be viable to reinstate them, but no decisions have been taken.”
“At this stage we don’t know how the damage was caused.”
Brighton and Hove City Council was given £324,269 under the Welcome Back Fund.
Government guidance recommends it is spent on measures such as:
- Boost the look and feel of their high streets by investing in street planting, parks, green spaces, and seating areas to make high streets welcoming.
- Run publicity campaigns and prepare to hold events that will boost footfall and encourage people back into the high streets and thereby supporting local businesses.
- Install and refresh signage and communications on how people can stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- Improve green spaces on high streets and town centres by planting flowers or removing graffiti.
I think all the vandalism, graffiti, drug taking, drug dealing, begging, public urination, aggressive and/or mad behaviour by the intoxicated is worth it as it saves our poor cops from having to get out of their cars. They have very delicate feet you know. It’s what makes Brighton special.
I believe that the council would probably refer to this and the destruction of the Cherry Trees in Preston Park as no more than part of “Brighton’s vibrant night-life…” which is how they usually describe vandalism, graffiti, excessive drunkenness and violence.
When the council failed to condemn the ‘Tyre Extinguishers’ thus giving a green light to vandalism what do they expect?
Nonsense. The “Tyre Extinguishers” acts were not thoughtless like those of snapping saplings and toppling planters.
The so called Tyre Extinguishers may have thought about what they are doing, but it wasn’t right. They will be the first to complain if someone spots them and takes the law into their own hands, as is quite possible.
Their crimes were thoughtless in that they had no genuine thought or care for the consequences. One of my neighbours, a nurse, was prevented from going to work while she waited for roadside assistance (which led to an RAC vehicle burning extra diesel on a journey that it should never have had to make). She still made the same journeys, just later.
I don’t know what the consequences were on her ward. I can only hope that everyone who needed care was able to receive it.
I do know that she and a number of my neighbours now have less sympathy for Green causes as a result of counterproductive actvivists.
Tyre Extinguishers, Excreta Repulsives blocking roads, Insult Britain, all l©©natic
l#fti$¥ and champagne S@¢i@li$t
cr£ti*$. Should all be classed as economic saboteurs instead of being pandered to by local politicians and police.
Well on a similar track the activists gluing themselves to motorways have received sympathy even from judges. The reason being that they are trying to bring awareness to the crime of ignoring climate change etc.
The so called Tyre Extinguishers acts were far from thoughtless as they explained in the leaflet they left on their victims vehicles.
I imagine both groups considered the consequences and still decided their actions were necessary as the only way to get the message across.
It’s quite likely that the increase in recent articles condemning oversized urban vehicles is down to their action. Let’s hope everyone educates themselves by reading them.
Here’s one of many
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56647128
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p09z6d1s/how-suvs-came-to-rule-the-world-at-the-cost-of-the-climate
Steve.
Idiots on M25 impacted people needing urgent treatments at Hospitals, therefore, not only were appointments missed, additional appointments had to be made for them meaning less appointment slots for others.
Vital deliveries were held up, meaning food and supplies were not in shops, yes very clever actions. Quite ironic that one of these ‘Save the planet’ morons, a neighbour a few streets away, just happens to drive a 3.5 fuel guzzling, wood burning Van.
So, my wife’s vehicle, a 7 seater had it’s tyres let down over in Woodingdean a little while ago. The vehicle in fact was configured to carry four people and loaded with a range of cleaning equipment.
Luckily enough, two staff members just happened to live a bus ride away to collect their own ‘CARS’ and returned to collect cleaning equipment. Two cars now on the road to complete our rounds instead of one. And a third once the tyres were reflated.
Yes very clever.
Just waiting for the morons to do it again, I’m sure they will seriously ‘consider the consequences’ when they discover a steel toe capped boot up their rear end or in their face.
Steve, you’re wrong. They’re also law-breaking idiots.
I don’t know buddy. Letting people’s tyres down is a pretty mindless act. Tbh its actually incredibly passive aggressive.
Vandalism is vandalism when you damage someone else’s property. The tyre extinguishers are no better than these idiots along London Road or Preston Park. How is slashing the tyres of care workers or Blue badge holders thoughtful?
Are there no security cameras in London Road, that would have recorded the event, and hopefully lead to the idiots being caught? Or are they just not working, like most other things in Brighton?
Symptomatic of Sussex police, to busy steeling electric scooters of innocennt people commuting than dealing with the zombies on crack chain begging and stealing throughout the city. Will be a cold day in hell if they would put a night time patrol or sting operation for the ‘graffiti artists’. As for the council, £300k spent on encouraging people back into the high street, not seen a single thing they have done to help small businesses, if anything they are making it harder for small traders with this bin nonsense. Useless the lot of them.
Dave
You are such a fool.
You are aware that one of these ‘innocent’ electric scooter riders was a Zoombie drug dealer ?
Such a shame and disgrace, those flower pots were beautiful, am fuming
I was really sad about the cherry blossoms, so thoughtless. Those planters were so ugly though, can’t help but be a little glad they’re gone. Honestly, don’t know what the council we’re thinking putting them there.
The flower planters looked hideous all bunched together with no thought. Just a mass of plastic. It would have been much nicer if a few trees could have been planted. However I expect they wild have been damaged too. I don’t understand who the planters would be returned to, the plants would have lasted all summer if looked after.
Good. Get rid of the horrible things.
I was wondering when someone would steal the plants and was always pleasantly that they remained
Now this. Despicable vandalism!!!!!
No excuse for vandalism but they were a waste of money. Why are we getting cash from the EU?
Maybe decades of under funding communities, lack of youth opportunities and general erosion of society is now in plain sight – time to spend money on eg leisure centres, community centres and encourage a more valuable society. enough austerity.
Bearing in mind that Brighton and Hove are overloaded with graffiti and vandalism, wherever one looks, they could not have found a more inappropriate location for the planters. With so many lawbreaking morons in the city, it is surprising that they lasted as long as they did. But common sense is in very short supply when it comes to this council.
I’ve been away, so just caught up with the predictable vandalism to the tree’s in Preston Park. It has to be said Brighton is fast becoming uninhabitable by ordinary decent people. Perhaps these vandals could volunteer to help out in Ukraine, it would certainly make them grow up, and fast. Other places in the country are much nicer than Brighton. In the north it would seem people are proud of where they live. Sadly it must be the case that all the mentally half witted people are somehow attracted to the place, which is a shame because it could be nice, as it once was. It has to be the fault of the council, but sadly they are only there because people have voted for them. Time for change? Looks like we’re stuck with this lot. Austerity, such as it is has got nothing to do with it. This council is receiving millions from central government, and they have no idea how to spend it.
When I went past, only one was knocked over. The second one would have been knocked over after 7:11am on the 12th April. I took a photo as the fencing by London Road shops area was down.