Hoons carve up Meadow Heights park

Reckless hoons have smashed into a fence surrounding an athletics track at a Meadow Heights reserve and carved up an area of grass which is regularly used for dog obedience training.

Hume council officers discovered the damage at John Ilhan Memorial Reserve on Wednesday.

The hoons have destroyed the dog obedience area after crafting doughnuts on the wet grass.

Mayor Helen Patsikatheodorou said she was appalled at the behaviour.

“This really disgusts me,” she said.

“So many people rely on our reserves and these individuals have caused such a mess.

“We want Meadow Heights to be safe and these hoons should drive themselves out of town.”

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Cr Patsikatheodorou said the damage meant it would be almost impossible for dog owners to use the training area.

Council officers will now begin repairing the damage by rolling the damaged turf before they re-level the ground and sow grass seeds.

The council will also organise for the fence to be repaired as soon as possible.

Cr Patsikatheodorou is urging anyone with information about the incident to contact police.

“While many people will be put out by this criminal act, the cost of the repair bill is shared by every single ratepayer,” she said.

“We must now spend money to fix the turf and the fence and those dollars could have been out towards something new, somewhere else.

“The people who did this to our community must be brought to justice because their behaviour lets everyone down.”

John Ilhan Memorial Reserve is the fourth Hume council reserve to be targeted by vandals in recent months.

In March, vandals used a vehicle to damage a cricket pitch at the Greenvale Recreation Reserve just days before a premier-level final.

The incident happened soon after thieves stole copper cables from Sunbury’s Eric Boardman Memorial Reserve and Sunbury Recreation Reserve.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via www.crimestoppersvic.com.au