VANDALISM on the Increase: Damage in Parks and Streets - that was the headline in the Malvern Gazette 50 years ago this week.

"Malvern Councillor are to prosecute anyone found damaging their property - damage which is considerable and on the increase.

"Not only in the parks, but throughout the town much vandalism is going on. Bulbs and time-clocks are being stolen from street lamps; street name plates are constantly ripped off.

" 'It's really dreadful,' commented the surveyor Mr C C Judson.

"In Victoria Park, Malvern Link, the chief target of wanton destruction seems to be the bandstand, which used to stand in Priory Park, and the windows and roofs of the conveniences. So serious has been the damage to the wooden floor of the bandstand that the Council are to replace this with concrete.

"As fast as the wooden boards were repaired, they are torn up again. The windows are of the glass block type and must have suffered extreme pressure to shatter them.

"Water tank covers have been torn off - in fact, as one Council oficial put it yesterday, 'anything bendable, breakable, or removable has tended to disappear'.

"The surveyor's department said that in rebuilding or repairing damaged property, they were trying now to make things vandal-proof.

"Mr J A Briggs, council entertainment manager, said yesterday that people doing the damage in Victoria park were making a thorough nuisance of themselves. The assistance of the police has been sought, but instances of wanton damage continually occur."