More attacks on parking meters (From The Argus)

More attacks on parking meters

5:31pm Friday 2nd November 2007 in News By Miles Godfrey

Bomb disposal experts set up a 200 metre exclusion zone after a pay and display bomber continued their reign of terror.

Two parking meters in Lewes suffered substantial damage after fireworks believed to have been attached to them were set off.

Both the attacks are being linked and are believed to be part of a long-running campaign of costly vandalism to parking meters in the town.

In the past 12 months there have been more than 180 separate attacks on the machines in the town, costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds.

East Sussex County Council has been forced to foot a bill of more than £300,000 replacing damaged meters in the same period.

The latest incidents happened on Thursday.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "There were two parking meters damaged overnight. The fireworks were taken away for examination."

A spokesman for the county council added: "Whoever committed this mindless crime should know that they risk jail. As well as the potential to maim or kill a passer-by, this vandalism is causing suffering to the people of Lewes, who will end up footing the bill."

Police sealed off the area around Pelham Terrace about noon today following reports of the damage and that fireworks were laying underneath cars.

Army bomb disposal crews arrived shortly afterwards and used a remote controlled robot to collect the items.

They were later examined and found to be safe.

Inspector Bob Brown, of Lewes Police, said: "We want to make sure everyone and everything is safe just in case.

"You never quite know with these things so we are taking the precaution."

Similar vandalism has also been caused to parking meters elsewhere in the county.

As The Argus revealed last week, thieves ripped out parking meters at the West Beach car park, Littlehampton.

They were found the next morning by a member of the public dumped in a field at the end of Dappers Lane in Angmering.

Both had been smashed open and burned. At 11am on the same day a meter was found in the car park of Worthing's Brooklands Park, just yards from where it once stood.

It had also been smashed in two and its takings stolen. Two more meters were taken from Littlehampton seafront between during the following days.

One disappeared from Mewsbrook Park and the second from Sea Road near Littlehampton Swimming and Sports Centre.

Neither machine has been found.

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