Disgraceful vandalism at County Wexford grotto is being investigated by gardaí

Incidents of repeated vandalism at the grotto in Ferns are being treated very seriously by the gardaí with the behaviour branded disgraceful by locals.

The Ferns Tidy Towns group have worked hard at replacing fencing panels at the grotto only for them to be vandalised a short time later, sometimes within hours.

On one occasion the volunteer group replaced a third vandalised panel and within a couple of hours two more panels were deliberately broken.

On that occasion, which occurred between 4.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, a female youth was caught on camera standing on top of the panels kicking them to break them.

However, she wasn’t alone and it’s believed some of the other young people involved were also caught on camera and that gardai were notified.

A spokesperson for Ferns Tidy Towns said it was disappointing that anybody would deliberately break up the panels especially at the grotto.

Some locals who spoke about the issue also condemned the actions of those responsible while at the same time commending the work of the volunteer Tidy Towns group for working hard to make the village clean and tidy.

"They do a fantastic job and what they do is hard enough without having to contend with this as well,” said one local resident.

Supt Denis Whelan said the gardaí are aware of incidents of anti-social behaviour at the grotto and said a definite line of enquiry is being followed in relation to the matter.

He also praised the Tidy Towns group for their work on behalf of the community.

"We are aware of ongoing issues at the grotto and we are following a definite line of enquiry,” said Supt Whelan.

Meanwhile, the Tidy Towns spokesperson said it was sad that a small group of young people living in the community have no respect for the work of volunteers who spend hours of their own time working to ensure the village always look its best.

"They’ve no respect for the community or those who live here but also for themselves or their families either,” she said.

However, in complete contrast through social media some local people offered help to the Tidy Towns group to assist them in replacing the damaged panels while many other people posted online comments praising the group for their work.

Wexford Plaques, based in Clone, offered panel wood to help repair the broken panels while also commenting it “would be an honour to help in any way”.

In another incident a large amount household rubbish was dumped in the graveyard skip which is provided by Wexford County Council for graveyard use only.

Unfortunately, it’s not the first time it’s happened and it was reported to the local authority. However, because it involved items being discarded into a skip that is specifically for people using the graveyard the incident was widely condemned locally.

Wexford County Council and the gardaí encourage people who see incidents of illegal dumping taking place to report them to the authorities.