Services will carry on at Neston Recreation Centre regardless of callous thieves
All activities back in operation following break-in
16 February 2012
The Council, Brio Leisure and Police are appealing to local residents to help catch thieves who broke into Neston Recreation Centre and caused significant damage to the reception area in a bid to access the building’s safe.
Burglars broke in through the sports hall’s rear doors and attacked the reception area, damaging vending machines, furniture and walls in an unsuccessful bid to reach the safe, which holds merely petty cash overnight.
After discovering the damage Brio Lesiure staff worked tirelessly to relocate services for users. The Children’s Holiday Club was quickly moved to Neston Civic Hall, with staff on-hand, causing minimum disruption.
A National Pool Lifeguard Qualification course taking place was relocated to Ellesmere Port’s EPIC and two staff remained on site to speak with any customers who arrive for casual activity and direct them to any alternative options where possible.
Staff worked through the night to clean and reinstate a reception area. All activities are now back in operation although the centre is operating a temporary reception area until the main reception is repaired.
Although costs to fix the damage are still unknown repairs are in hand, and phones are diverted to other offices to enable casual bookings to continue.
Users of the centre are advised to keep updated with progress by visiting the Brio Leisure website
Councillor Stuart Parker, Executive Member for Culture and Recreation, said: “I would like to thank Brio Leisure staff from the centre for their fantastic efforts to ensure that services and their users were not unduly affected by this despicable and destructive attack on the centre.
“We would like to send out a clear message that very little amounts of cash are left on the site overnight, making this kind of burglary absolutely pointless.
“A large proportion of all our leisure centre customers pay by direct debit for regular activity, meaning cash handling is kept to a minimum across Brio Leisure sites.
“It’s very much business as usual at the centre, with minimum disruption to the booking schedule – a great message to those whose actions have shown a blatant disregard for others during the half term week.”
Cheshire Police are investigating the burglary, which is believed to have taken place between 10.30pm on Tuesday 14 February and the following morning and have stepped up patrols in the area.
They are keen to speak to any local residents who may have seen or heard anything suspicious overnight, asking them make contact by calling 101.
This is the second time Neston Recreation Centre has been attacked. In 2009 a ram-raid took place at the centre in which the safe was dragged from the office but abandoned unopened in the car park.