A COMMUNITY campaigner has given up on his dream of building a major monument at one of Teesside’s most iconic and important sites because of vandalism.

Craig Hornby announced plans last month to build a monument at the top of Eston Nab, a scheduled ancient monument, in memory of fallen iron miners and to celebrate its history.

But he has now given up on the idea due to serious problems of vandalism, fly tipping and boy racers littering the historic area with burnt out cars.

He said: “The fight against such lowlife will go on but the risks to any new monument being built at the Nab have to be accepted. It can only go down in Eston where it would be safer from vandalism, easier and cheaper to build; and accessible to all. But it t would though do little for the hills which was the whole point sadly.”

Mr Hornby, who had designed a £150,000 monument which he had believed would be educational and help engender respect for Eston Nab, is a key member of the Friends of Eston Hills. The Friends raised £15,000 to bring a small area of Eston Nab, which has the remains of an Iron Age fort and a Napoleonic-era beacon, into public ownership for the first time.

But since then, despite many litter collection drives and support from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, the problems of vandalism and burnt out cars has continued.

Mr Hornby said: “The last conservation work had been carried out by Cleveland County Council in the 90s. Chronic abuse ever since had left the hills in their worst condition ever: litter and fly-tipping on an epic scale, stolen cars being burnt out and all the main footpaths absolutely destroyed by 4x4s, quad bikes and motorbikes. We removed decades of litter and began badgering the police and council to remove all the car wrecks and fly-tipping; and for substantial barriers to be installed at all access points to stop anymore. At Flatts Lane, the concrete bollards that we had lobbied for were soon breached. The new barrier was found on the deck taken apart with a grinder. A fresh pile of asbestos was dumped beside. As fast as wrecks were removed others took their place.”