A cash reward incentive to offer £500 to name and shame culprits who trashed Budleigh Salterton’s seafront shelter has been thrown out by the town council.
The town council was challenged to offer a reward to identify and bring to justice the culprits who vandalised the Jubilee Shelter in June.
Councillors were united in voting against a proposal the town offer £500 to ‘anyone providing information leading to the identification and apprehension’ of those responsible for the Jubilee Shelter vandalism.
Proposing the council stump up a reward was retired Budleigh town councillor, Courtney Richards.
He claimed the Jubilee Shelter vandalism was not an isolated incident and called for immediate action.
Budleigh’s mayor, Councillor Caz Sismore-Hunt said: “I have got to say, personally, I am not in favour of this at all. I don’t agree with this.
“If a person wants to give a reward, fine, but as a council I don’t think we should get involved in rewards.”
Setting out his suggestion in a letter to the town council, Mr Richards, of Elmside, Budleigh, said: “Enough is enough. It seems that the police lack evidence to apprehend the vandals, albeit it would appear that people have a very strong idea as to the identity of the culprits.
“If this vandalism is to be stopped before the town acquires a dubious reputation, action needs to be taken – and quickly.
“I am suggesting that the town council offers a monetary reward to anyone providing – anonymously if necessary, information that leads to the identification/apprehension of the people responsible for this vandalism.”
Mr Richards said the day following the seafront shelter damage, traffic cones were left on top of cars in Coastguard Road, the sign for the Hub Nursery was moved and ‘jammed’ under the windscreen wipers of a campervan, and wheelie bins were moved onto the East Budleigh Road highway.
