Seafront Shelters Vandalised

In the last week in October, the Sea Front Shelters on the Eastern Esplanade were subject to several attacks of mindless vandalism with 43 panes of glass smashed within a few days.

Our Ramsgate Police Community Support Officer, John Litchfield, was on the case immediately, but as the attacks took place under cover of darkness, there is insufficient CCTV evidence to identify the culprits. The police have to catch the perpetrators virtually “red handed” to get sufficient evidence to warrant a prosecution. However, John Litchfield is very concerned about the extend of the criminal damage to the shelters and will be keeping a close eye on the situation.

Ramsgate Town Council (RTC) were quick off the mark when they heard of the incident and Maxine Morgan (Lead Technician) and RTC Technician, Shaun, were soon on the scene clearing up and removing broken glass from the site in the interest of public safety. Quite a lot of people have observed recently that RTC have been very pro-active round the town in the last 12 months or so and their efforts on behalf of local residents are starting to be noticed and appreciated.

Many people will know that The Ramsgate Society took over the shelters from TDC about 10 years ago. The shelters were in a very dilapidated condition and were not being maintained. The Society received grants totalling £540,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, RTC and the Sainsbury's Charitable Trust and completely renovated 14 of the sea front shelters. We have spent thousands of pounds in recent years replacing broken glass and in redecorating the shelters from time to time. In this, we have been greatly assisted by the local glass specialists Ramsgate Glass who have given us very generous discounts and over the last 12 months or so have been carrying the costs themselves as their contribution to the town.

We are determined to maintain the quality of our public spaces in Ramsgate and are currently investigating the cost of replacing all the broken panes following this latest bout of vandalism.

Written by:
John Walker,
Chairman of The Ramsgate Society