Leeds council officials have criticised the organisers of a mass water fight that was planned through the social networking site Facebook. The water fight caused damage estimated at thousands of pounds to the city’s award-winning Mandela Gardens.
An estimated 350 people armed with water pistols and buckets were involved in the mass water fight, which caused left the garden looking bedraggled. The council said that the damage caused to the gardens included ripped up turf, trampled plants and vandalism to water features, which were filled with foam and emptied.
Leed’s City Council’s executive member for leisure John Procter condemned the actions of those involved in the water fight as “unforgivable”. He said: “Our parks staff were distraught when they discovered the wreckage. Frankly I'm appalled at the total disregard for people's ongoing enjoyment of this beautiful city centre oasis. To destroy years of careful cultivation for a couple of hours of so-called fun is unforgivable.”
Mr Procter was keen to state that the council would be “pulling out all the stops to make sure everything is put right.” However, Mr Procter said that restoring the gardens would slow down his staff’s preparations for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. He said that fixing them “will stretch parks staff to the limit when they are already working hard on this year's Chelsea garden and the bedding and container planting for the city's summer displays.”
Photographs and video footage of the water fight have been posted on Facebook and on the YouTube video website. In addition to this, the council has handed CCTV footage over to police who are thought to be examining it in order to identify the culprits.
The Mandela gardens are located in Millennium Square, which is the city’s flagship public space. In 2004, the gardens won the bronze prize at the 2004 Chelsea Flower Show for their striking centrepiece. The gardens were named to celebrate the city's long-standing links with Nelson Mandela and his hometown of Durban.
Millennium Square cost £12 million to build and was opened in 2000 as part of Leeds’ millennium celebrations. The square, which is the city’s first new public square in 60 years, is also home to a number of large pieces of public art.
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