CAMELFORD Town Councillors voted to install railings at the Scout hut, in order to protect the building from vandals.

Having carried out central repairs following a spate of vandalism to the building, which included insulation, replacing the damage at the side of the building and disposing of the debris, the council paid more than £400 for the overall work. Councillors were keen to discuss ways in which to prevent similar damage from occurring again.

Mayor Claire Hewlett said: “How do we stop this from happening in the future?”

Town clerk Esther Greig told the meeting that railings could prevent further damage. She said: “The railings there would stop most of the skaters [from OCM Skatepark] going and it would be away from them.”

However, there were some concerns with the suggestion that the Scout group may not stay in the building long-term. Cllr Ayla Ackroyd-Johnson asked: “Can we not ask if they’re staying first?”

Ms Greig said that they had been ‘trying for two years’ but the outcome was still uncertain.

Deputy mayor Cllr Rob Rotchell added: “The building is not in good shape. The cladding looks good but there will be another repair bill in the near future so we might as well bite the bullet.”

Cllr Rotchell proposed to install railings, which councillors ‘begrudgingly’ were in favour of.