Footage released of reckless incident in award winning park

The group not only put themselves at risk, but also park users and neighbouring properties too. The District Council is calling on all parents and carers this summer and asking them to check who their children are with, what they are doing and where they are.

The footage was recorded on Friday 12 July at around 3pm and was taken by a District Council Park Ranger, who was alerted to the scene after seeing smoke arising from close to the community orchard area at Sconce and Devon Park in Newark. The footage, with sound removed, shows the immediate aftermath when a group of young people fled the scene as the officer arrives. 

The footage shows a timber frame den constructed from trees which have been torn down from the orchard.  It shows several trees damaged with spray paint as well as damage to park signs. A fire is shown bellowing underneath an unsecured tarpaulin just yards away from residential local homes.

While the group weren’t intending to set fire to the park, it was only by sheer luck that they were discovered by a Park Ranger before anything else was set on fire and an altogether different outcome would have happened.

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the scene to ensure the fire was put out safely and to dampen the area to minimise any further risk to park users and wildlife.

Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at Newark and Sherwood District Council said: “This fire was incredibly dangerous for the young people, park users and neighbouring properties. It is not an exaggeration to say that the outcome could have been much worse and could have resulted in death. That’s why we’ve taken the unprecedented decision to release this footage.

“My message to parents is, please – do you know what your children are up to? While the District Council, together with our partners, do all we can to educate young people about keeping safe, we simply cannot be everywhere all the time. Sadly, we see examples of this reckless type of behaviour all too often and we need parents and the community to do more.”

The District Council is committed to creating a safer district and educating younger generations to create long-term behaviour changes. The Council regularly works with partners to achieve this goal, most recently hosting a two-week-long safety event that reached over 800 pupils across the district. These sessions covered a wide range of safety topics, including fire safety and wildlife crime, with a focus on the impacts and consequences unsafe or anti-social behaviour can have.

Anyone who may have information on these recent spates is encouraged to please help us protect our parks and report anything you know to the District Council at www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/asb , to the Police on 101 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.

If you would like to report anti-social behaviour in general, please call the District Council on 01636 650000 or use the online ASB reporting form. If a crime is in progress or life is in danger, you should dial 999. To report non-urgent anti-social behaviour, contact Newark and Sherwood District Council or the police on 101.

You can watch the video here: https://youtube.com/shorts/ilaTeZ6Q_yY