A man has been arrested after a parking signs were damaged at the forest which inspired the Hundred Acre Wood in Winnie the Pooh.
A 56-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after a car park sign was pulled off a wooden post and thrown into nearby bushes.
The man, who was arrested on October 19, has been bailed and is under investigation.
In the last month up to 18 car parking signsin the picturesque Ashdown Forest, East Sussex near Forest Row have been torn down or defaced.
The forest is famous as being the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood, the setting of AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh books.
A 56-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after a car park sign at the forest which inspired the Hundred Acre Wood in Winnie the Pooh was pulled off a wooden post
The parking sign which was torn down was thrown into nearby bushes
Forest managers believe the attacks began after the introduction of parking charges across the 10-mile forest.
The charges were introduced to help address the financial deficit from maintaining the beautiful forest.
Fees range from £2 an hour to £5 for the day, or £80 for an annual pass, with a cheaper concessionary charge of £5 a year available to those on benefits.
Forest managers say 47 signs have been torn down and thrown aside while others have been defaced and scrawled on since the charges were introduced last November.
They say the attacks are ‘eroding’ funds aimed at maintaining the forest and all its facilities.
The income generated has been used to improve and maintain paths, gates and bridges as well as fixing potholes in car parks, and restoring eroded entrances and exits.
Each sign costs £99 and there are costs incurred with having to put the signs back up in the car parks.
Since the charges were introduced in November last year, 47 signs have been torn down or damaged at a cost of £6,772.
Janet Wirdnam (left) and Julia Fairhall who enjoy visiting the forest in East Sussex
Forest managers believe the attacks began after the introduction of parking charges across the 10-mile forest (stock image)
In the last month up to 18 car parking signs in the picturesque Ashdown Forest, East Sussex near Forest Row
One visitor, Julia Fairhall, said: ‘We’re horrified. We understand you have to pay something towards the maintenance of this beautiful place.
‘It’s really well-managed and we don’t want it to turn back into a wilderness that no-one can access.
‘We feel it maybe just one person or a couple of people carrying out these acts of vandalism in the dead of night. Hopefully they’ll realise that we’re all aware of it and keeping our eyes peeled and that will act as a deterrent.’
Mark Infield, Landscape Recovery Manager at Ashdown Forest, said: ‘We are experiencing some serious vandalism and this has spiked in the last couple of weeks. But we believe this either one person or a very small number of people.
‘We thought long and hard before introducing parking charges and a lot of thought has been put into it to make it fair.
‘There is £5 annual charge for those on benefits as we didn’t want anyone excluded who was less able to afford to pay. We have sold 230 of those annual passes so it shows the scheme is working.
Landscape Recovery Manager Mark Infield said vandalism had spiked in the last couple of weeks
Picturesque Ashdown Forest, East Sussex near Forest Row inspired the Hundred Acre Wood in Winnie the Pooh (pictureD)
‘These are important revenues to help us keep the forest open and safe, but these attacks are definitely eroding that money.’
The forest is an Area of Outstanding Beauty covering 10 square miles and on the edge of the forest there is a copy of the original Poohsticks Bridge where Pooh played with game with the books other characters.
Forest managers say the vast majority of visitors are paying to park, with only 93 penalty notices being issued since the introduction of charges last November.
Inspector Andy Barker of Sussex Police said: ‘The forest is one of the largest open areas in the South East and a safe space for our communities and visitors to enjoy all year round.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
Content source – www.soundhealthandlastingwealth.com
