A COMMUNITY group in Devizes has handed back £35,000 of funding destined for the second phase of a state of the art children's playground because of fears yobs could continue to vandalise equipment.

Mark Talbot, chairman of the Forty Acres and Eastleigh Area Community Group, said: "We have handed back £35,000 investment in the town because of an anti-social element which has spoiled it all for the 99.9 per cent of people."

The group had worked for six years to transform waste ground which had been littered with abandoned cars, into an imaginative play area and was given grant aid of £50,000.

But within days of the play area opening in June last year a piece of equipment was vandalised and the damage continued.

The second phase would have involved buying more play equipment, installing seating, a picnic table and planting trees to create a woodland area with educational interpretation boards.

However, Sarsen Housing Association expressed fears that some of the proposed equipment for this second phase would also be vulnerable to vandalism.

And the group was told it would have to carry on paying public liability insurance for the equipment under the terms of the grant from Living Spaces funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The group had originally intended to disband after the second phase was implemented.

It had wanted to transfer the equipment and insurance to Sarsen.

Mr Talbot said: "We are disappointed that we are unable to proceed with the second phase of the project.

"I can understand Sarsen's concerns as they want to ensure their tenants can live peacefully.

"However, the play area is still there and open and being maintained by Sarsen.

"We have a play area second to none and we feel that between us we have successfully replaced an eyesore with something that the housing association and the community as a whole can use and take pride in."