by Graham Tutthill

gtutthill@thekmgroup.co.uk

Four children have been questioned by police after hundreds of pounds worth of damage was caused to Dover’s historic Grand Shaft on Sunday.

Volunteers had spent the day working at the Drop Redoubt and manning the Grand Shaft, which had been open to the public for the day. It links Snargate Street with the Western Heights via a unique triple spiral staircase.

They had cleared up and most had left the site when one of them checked the Shaft and discovered a fence panel had been ripped down and about 10 children were inside causing damage.

He raised the alarm, police were called, and a 12-year-old boy was spoken to nearby.

A further three children, two boys and a girl all aged 13, were stopped in York Street and later questioned under caution.

Police say they are continuing to investigate the incident, and anyone with information about who might be responsible is urged to contact them on 101, giving reference ZY/10510.

The volunteer from the Western Heights Preservation Society who discovered the damage, and who asked not to be named, said it had been a very successful day at the Drop Redoubt with the volunteers and the open day at the Grand Shaft, one of several planned for this year.

“I am still fuming about how mindless and uncalled for the damage was,” he said.

“About 10 light fittings were damaged, with the fluorescent strip lights dropped down the shaft and smashed, and a number of fittings completely ripped from the walls.” He narrowly missed being hit by one of the tubes as it was thrown down the shaft.

The damage, which is estimated at several hundred pounds, was caused just a week after three teenage girls spent more than 10 hours raising money for the preservation society by climbing the Grand Shaft more than 70 times.

They were said to be “shocked, upset and disgusted” by the damage.

Two of the girls were among the volunteers who were at the Western Heights on Sunday helping with the work to clear out a former gun room.

The Dover Mercury is calling for the children responsible for the damage to pay every penny of the cost of repairing it. What do you think? Post your comment below.