Just days after firebugs destroyed play equipment in East Albury, mindless idiots have struck again on the other side of the Border, this time torching Gordon Craig Park in Wodonga.

The playground, with the exception of the swings, will have to be removed as a result of the damage, which is estimated to be more than $30,000.

Albury mayor Kevin Mack was on the money when he described such incidents as “an attack on local families”.

“The sight of melted and twisted playground equipment is distressing for mums and dads who simply want a safe place for their children to exercise and have fun, and the mindless vandals who caused the damage should hang their heads in shame,” he said. 

Detective Sergeant Graeme Simpfendorfer said police were keen to speak with two youngsters, believed to be about 13, who were seen at the park in Wodonga yesterday.

It’s disturbing to think that children could cause such damage to play equipment which, after all, is there for children.

It comes a day after a 15-year-old Wodonga teenager was charged with criminal damage over the graffiti of a cancer memorial garden in Sumsion Gardens.

Sadly, such senseless vandalism hasn’t been restricted to our playgrounds and gardens with car fires becoming increasingly common on both sides of the Border.

A vehicle that was dumped and set alight on the Melrose Drive off-ramp in Wodonga has been an eye-sore since Boxing Day while Albury woman Helen Ellis had her life turned upside down when thieves stole and torched her car just two days later.

It is hard to comprehend the apparent pointlessness of setting fire to a car once the novelty of having stolen it wears off.

Imagine the heartache and fear that comes from waking on an otherwise ordinary day, looking into the driveway and realising the car is not where it should be. There is something so wasteful about a car that was much-needed by its owners simply set on fire and left to burn.

It’s also dangerous. We’ve got our hottest day in almost a year coming up this weekend and the last thing we need is a senseless fire which could spread, endangering innocent lives. Let’s hope it’s too hot for these idiots to crawl out from whatever rock they live under.