Doncaster Council ask police to investigate blaze which wrecked playground

The outdoor adventure playground and climbing tower in Sandall Beat Woods was wrecked in a suspected arson attack in the early hours of last Friday morning and upset residents have now raised nearly £5,000 to rebuild the equipment, used by hundreds of children every week.

Now Doncaster Council has confirmed that it is working with South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to track down those responsible for the fire.

A Doncaster Council spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident that took place in Sandall Beat Wood.

"Given the nature of the circumstances we have reported it to South Yorkshire Police.

"This has sadly damaged a popular playground for youngsters across the area and we will cooperate with our colleagues at the police and fire service to determine what happened.”

The smouldering ruins of the playground were discovered by a shocked dog walker last Friday morning.

The central wooden climbing tower was reduced to a charred shell and the whole site has now been cleared while plans are drawn up on what to do with the site.

Upset locals and campaigners have instantly rallied with thousands of pounds rolling in in just a matter of hours after a crowdfunding campaign was set up.

A GoFundMe page HERE has already raised more than £4,700 – and donations are continuing to pour in with people shocked at the destruction of the much-loved facility.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident 438 of the 4th December 2020.