15 year old arrested after play park blaze

Significant damage caused at Tadpole Garden Village play park

The man had reportedly been at a car meet in Chippenham
Author: Chris TatePublished 21st Nov 2021

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after a fire damaged a Swindon play park.

Police were called to the park in Tadpole Garden Village at approximately 7.50am yesterday morning following a report that the slide at the park had been set on fire.

The fire and rescue service were called to extinguish the blaze which caused significant damage to the park as a result.

After extensive neighbourhood enquiries, a 15-year-old local boy was arrested on suspicion of arson. He is currently in custody for further questioning at Gablecross police station.

Acting Sgt Keith Macdonald said: “This type of mindless behaviour is just completely unacceptable – as a result of this fire, this popular piece of equipment is completely out of action for the young children living nearby who enjoy the facilities on a regular basis.

“I’d like to thank local residents for their assistance with our enquiries this morning which led us to the arrest of a local teenager in connection with the arson.”

Anyone with further information should call police on 101 and quote crime reference 54210113272.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.