by John Prince
A brand new art attraction that was officially opened less than two months ago has been vandalised.
Custom-made panels depicting photographs and images of Hornsea from down the years were put up at the end of April in a tunnel underneath the Trans Pennine Trail.
Local schoolchildren had also contributed artwork to the final design.
Since then it has drawn visitors to it, and has fast become one of the town’s tourist attractions.
Long, deep scratches – some more than ten feet long – have been cut into the panels on both sides of the tunnel, and graffiti has had to be cleaned off including a distinctive tag saying ‘Dope’.
Community group Let’s Go Hornsea, which raised thousands of pounds to put the project together, and brought it to life after years of planning, has described the vandalism as ‘appalling’.
In an emotional statement, Hilary Rose from Let’s Go Hornsea said: “I was informed that the panels were graffitied and that it had been keyed, so I was expecting little scratches. I was horrified to discover it wasn’t.
“I hoped it was just the odd cut, but it was nearly all the panels and on both sides.
“What worries me is that this looks like it was done by a bladed implement, so why would anyone walk around with one of those?
“The graffiti was bad enough but it can be removed quite easily with a cleaner, but the damage has been heartbreaking.
“It’s not just us, but the children involved will be upset too as they have ownership of it. We put so much effort into this project and used grants and donations from local companies, that this feels personal.
“It’s appalling that anyone has the mindset of damaging other people’s property for what possible reason?
Photo: Hilary Rose
“We did this for Hornsea so they could be proud of the area and not see offensive graffiti on the wall, making it better and as a destination for tourists to see Hornsea at its best.
“This has now been reported to the police as criminal damage. The graffiti was mostly pink and some black, so if anyone knows anything please contact them.
“If your child goes out at night do you know where they are going, and what they are doing and with whom? Someone out there should know, as this could be your son or daughter. Parents please talk to your kids.”
Humberside Police have said: “We received a report of criminal damage to an art installation on Tranmere Park in Hornsea which is believed to have occurred overnight between Sunday, June 21 and Monday, June 22.
“If you have any information or CCTV footage that may assist enquiries, please contact our non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 26*86310.
“Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
An appeal has also gone out on Humberside Police’s My Community Alert system.