A CHILDREN’S adventure play park was completely destroyed in an arson attack over the weekend.

A wooden fortress structure was burnt to the ground in the incident during the early hours of last Saturday at the Valley Gardens in Harrogate.

Eight local teenagers were arrested in the wake of the blaze, which began at around 2.55am.

One of the teenagers was still in custody. Three have been released on bail pending further enquiries and four have been released with no further action.

The adventure play park is run by the borough council where staff said they had been sickened by the “wanton destruction".

A spokesman said they were now awaiting a visit from their insurer’s loss adjuster and would make good the ground area as soon as they got the go-ahead.

The spokesman added: “It is too early to say what the council will do to replace the facility, no decision has been made.

“In the meantime the council wishes to urge anyone with any information surrounding the incident to speak to the police.”

Detective Constable Helen Quaife said: “There has been a significant reaction in the local community condemning the actions of those responsible and people coming forward to assist the police with enquiries.

“The play park is hugely popular with residents of Harrogate and the surrounding area, and the damage caused by this blaze will no doubt impact widely.”

Anyone with information is urged to call police on 0845 6060 247 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.