New Warminster tennis courts open but already vandalised

The mayor of Warminster unveiled the five new courts in the Lake Pleasure Grounds on Wednesday. They been in use since Friday, May 26 and, despite three of them having been damaged by vandals on bikes, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Warminster Mayor Cllr Phil Keeble tries out the newly-surfaced tennis courts. Photo: Warminster Town Council (Image: Warminster Town Council)

Mayor Phil Keeble cut the ribbon and said: ‘I am delighted to officially open these much anticipated tennis courts.

“They are a real community asset and it means a lot to see them getting a lot of use already. With the summer holidays and Wimbledon on the horizon, I think this is a perfect time to get involved with the sport.

“Warminster has really benefitted from this project and the next step is to try and get as many schools, children and new players involved as possible to elevate its reputation and promote the sense of community it can bring.”

On Thursday (June 1) a group of 11 young people broke into the newly refurbished tennis courts and caused £3,000 worth of damage to the special surface by riding bicycles on three of the new courts. 

Some of the damage caused to the playing surface by a group of teenagers on bikes. Photo: Warminster Town Council (Image: Warminster Town Council)

Fortunately, it won’t affect play and all courts remain available to book, Warminster Town Council clerk Tom Dommett said.

He added: “This was a particularly unnecessary and pointless crime.  We have CCTV footage of those involved, they will be identified and pursued for causing criminal damage.

“The matter has been passed to the police. The town council and the community of Warminster will not allow a tiny number of people to get away with this kind of behaviour.

“We will look at repainting the surface of the courts, which could cost up to £3,000, which is not trivial. We urge anyone who see any criminal or anti-social behaviour in the park to report it at the time to the police by phoning 101 or 999.”

The tennis courts have been resurfaced at a cost of £241,000 with the Lawn Tennis Association contributing £127,000 and Warminster Town Council investing £114,000.

Cllr Keeble added: “When you look at the dazzling blue and green surface, new nets,  new fencing and gate-access system it is easy to forget just a few months ago how different it looked.

“The reason the tennis courts and MUGA have been able to have such a huge revitalisation is due to the LTA providing a generous sum of money to help promote tennis within local communities. The courts were majority funded by the LTA and the rest was contributed by the Council’s earmark reserves.

“In total there are five tennis courts and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) for public play. The MUGA is free to use all the time, and the tennis courts are £6 per one hour session or £40 for a year’s membership, which allows up to four hours a week playtime.

“As part of the commitment to making the courts inclusive and available to all the local citizenry, the town council is in ongoing talks to provide certain free access to the courts at specific times. There is also the prospect of the formation of a local Tennis Club. More information will be provided the moment these plans are firmed.

“We would like to thank everyone for their patience with the project, and we are pleased to see so many people already buying memberships, using the courts and getting the full use out of this state-of-the-art public facility. As the summer begins, we hope to see as many of you there as possible.”