VANDALISM to a bus shelter in a Somerset village has been described as an “ongoing problem” by a district councillor, who has proposed replacing it with a stone shelter to prevent further damage.
The bus shelter in Graham Way, Cotford St Luke, has a broken back panel and burns on the ceiling, which appear to have been caused by cigarettes.
The shelter is owned by Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) but is managed by Cotford St Luke Parish Council.
Councillor John Hassall, who represents Cotford St Luke and Oake, spotted the damage on his way to a parish council meeting on Thursday, January 13.
He estimated it will cost around £500 to repair the broken panel, or around £5,000 to replace the shelter.
“It’s a question of what’s cheapest because it’s constantly being vandalised,” he said.
“I was chair of the parish council for a few years and while I was chair, there were two or three occasions when they had to replace panels.”
He said the latest damage comes soon after the parish council spent around £1,000 repairing the shelter.
He believes a stone bus shelter could be less prone to vandalism, look better among the street’s stone buildings, and keep people warmer.
He said: “I was thinking of a stone shelter, because it’s in keeping with the old hospital, which is now residential and is built of old stones. It’s on the façade of some of the properties, as well.
“If it’s sustainable to just have new panels, then new panels are a better idea. I think if they’ve got funding to be able to do it, then a stone shelter would look better and probably keep you warmer.”
Cllr Hassall is also the co-chair of the Somerset Bus Partnership for the district, which he says is taking action to get the county’s bus shelters “up to standard”.
He said: “The Somerset Bus Partnership are looking into the bus shelters.
“One or two members have gone round a particular route taking photographs of the bus shelters.
“There’s no point standing out waiting for a bus in a shelter that doesn’t do the job, particularly if it’s raining.”
Cllr Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for planning and transportation at SWT, believes keeping bus shelters in good condition is an important part of getting more people to use the services.
He said: “We know the British weather’s not always fabulous, and we as a council are very keen to encourage people to use public transport.
“A big element of that is making sure there’s a decent set of shelters to use.
“Vandalism is a real pain because it means the shelters are perhaps out of use or not doing the job that they’re supposed to, and we’ve got to spend public money fixing them, but that’s what we’ll do.”
Cllr Andy Sully, SWT’s portfolio holder for environmental services, added: “Somerset West and Taunton Council regularly go round and clean our assets to make sure they’re tidy and look presentable.
“If we identify any damage to our asset, we will rectify it and put it right.”
The County Gazette has contacted Avon and Somerset Police for a comment.
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