Two children’s parks in a town have been targeted by yobs who have set fires, vandalised equipment with homophobic slurs and left broken bottles.

Dad-of-two Rob Hollingsworth found the play area at Albany Park, in Bell Road, Sittingbourne in a disgusting state, with broken bottles, graffiti, used nappies and an incinerated roundabout when he took his children to the site.

The 43-year-old, who has lived in Sittingbourne for 20 years, believes vandalism in the town is on the rise and is calling for a bigger police presence.

He said: “When both my children and I got there, I noticed a Sainsbury’s trolley and things burnt inside it, and all the mess from the fire had spilled on the floor and roundabout.

“My son went to the monkey bars and normally I help him – that’s when I noticed the broken glass from a bottle.

“It was several pieces – large enough to do some serious harm to a child, plus some dirty folded up nappies on the ground so I picked up most of what I could see as my main concern was getting the glass up before an injury.

“Recently we’ve noticed plenty of damage caused by teenagers during the evening.

“I’m not sure how they get the tools, but there’s a swing pivoted on a pole, and on many occasions screws have been removed or the entire thing broken.

“There is also graffiti written on one of the climbing frames with offensive remarks.

“I’s gradually being run down and it’s such a shame because it’s a wonderful and popular area for the kids to play.

“It is getting worse as a whole in Sittingbourne and seeing a police presence is rare here.

“We absolutely need more patrols, not just during the day but more so at night.”

Cllr Carole Jackson admits it is not just Albany Park which has been affected lately.

The Labour representative for St Ann’s says Rectory Park, the site of its own arson attack three years ago, has also been daubed with homophobic slurs.

“As ward councillors, Tim Gibson and I are appalled and somewhat dismayed at the levels of offensive graffiti the youngsters play area and outdoor gym equipment in Rectory Park has been subjected to,” she added.

“These areas are provided for families to enjoy, and it is wrong they, and particularly young children, have to be subjected to such horrendous graphical images, abhorrent expletives and words of a homophobic nature.

“Sadly, following discussions with residents and taking it up with the council, it emerged the issue had in fact not been reported (to police).

“We have ensured the Community Safety Unit (CSU) and our Environmental Services team have been made aware, and they have been quick to respond to the matter.

“It is not the first example of anti-social activity in the park – in fact last year we had a spate of dog litter bins being subjected to arson.

“Moving forward, we hope the new community policing model will help us address the problem, not just at Rectory Park, but in the wider community where anti-social behaviour is rapidly becoming normalised.”

After discovering the damage at Albany Park, one person commented on Facebook: “I’ve stopped taking my children there as I am fed up with the rubbish, disgusting graffiti and the teenagers hanging around swearing.”

Another added: “I saw the roundabout had been partly burnt and the older kids’ swings have been taken away.

“Who would want to take their kids there anymore?

“It's an endless job which the council should be doing, and there is going to be nowhere left in this town soon that's safe or clean.”

The news come just weeks after a teenage girl was attacked with a catapult in the town, one cat was killed after being shot and a string of bus shelters were targeted by vandals.

Sittingbourne town centre has been subjected to two dispersal orders this month alone as police try to crack down on a rise in anti-social behaviour.