Vandals damage council premises, garden in Paola

Paola has been at the receiving end of two acts of vandalism over the past few days, one of which targeted the local council's premises.

Three sides of the building were defaced with spent oil while a number of round glass lampshades and a fountain at Lorry Sant garden were damaged.

Council employees found the burnt oil when they went to work on Monday morning while the vandalism at the garden was reported yesterday morning.

When contacted, mayor Raymond Attard expressed disgust at the acts, saying that what people needed to understand was that this meant the council would have to allocate a portion of its funds to repairs instead of new projects. The acts would not intimidate the council, which was adamant to continue with its work, he added. He described the town as being plagued by drug-users who frequented the garden. It was not the first time that the lamps had been vandalised.

The council recently approved the installation of security cameras which Mr Attard said would be done soon.

In a statement, the Association of Local Councils deplored the acts of vandalism and urged the police to take action against the perpetrators.