THIS is the shocking moment an “imbecile” council worker mowed down a group of kids’ football goalposts.
The council workman appeared to purposefully drive over the piece of sports equipment in Norton, County Durham, sparking outrage across social media.
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A group of children living in the area had pooled together some cash to buy the goal post and the place it on a piece of council-owned land so they could play football when they wanted to, it has been claimed.
Cruel footage shows the moment the council worker drove the large lawnmower over towards the goalposts, which were lying on the floor.
Donning an orange workman’s kit, the driver then begins to aggressively plough into the posts, eventually mounting on top of them.
The goal begins shaking around as the council worker continually drives backwards and forwards over it.
Shamelessly, the workman drives over it one final time before reversing away, dragging the children’s play equipment with him.
It eventually detaches from his lawnmower and is left strewn across the garden space.
Many adults took to social media to slam the driver’s actions, saying they were “disgusted” at what they saw.
One wrote: “Disgusting. Is it any wonder kids destroy stuff when they are led by imbecile adults like this?”
Another added: “Absolutely horrible, no need for what the council worker did. Those poor kids.”
A third claimed: “Criminal damage that, through and through.”
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council has since replaced the broken goal post with a new one, and has issued an apology over the incident, reports TeessideLive.
Cllr Nigel Cooke, Stockton Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Culture, said: “We are aware of this complaint and are looking into it as a matter of urgency.
“Officers have been out to see the family and replacement goals are being arranged.
“We’re sorry for any upset caused.”
We’ve been told to tear down our £20,000 garden shed by council but we’ll NEVER let them win – we’ve got a clever plan
A FURIOUS couple say they will refuse to tear down a £20,000 summer house after their bid to keep it was rejected by councillors.
Catherine Curran and her partner Martin Keyes installed the building in their garden nearly four years ago.
But last year they were left stunned when they discovered that council planners had refused retrospective planning for their two metre outbuilding.
The couple appealed against the decision but following a visit to the site councillors on the authority’s Local Review Body unanimously backed the original verdict.
The door is now open for Inverclyde Council to take enforcement action to have the building removed, if the local authority deems such action necessary.
The couple believe they still may be able to save their garden shed by moving it using a crane.
Catherine, 50, said she was furious – not just at the decision, but at the way the pair found out.
She insisted: “They are not tearing it down. My partner has spoken to two other councillors, and there are other options.
“They will not take my summer house down.”
Despite the general anger against the council worker’s actions, some defended his behaviour.
One wrote: “This is on council land and should have been moved if it was so important what people don’t realise these lads who cut the grass can not get off there machinery to move everything they come across the goal should have been moved by whoever it belongs to.”
Another said: “How do you know it’s deliberate? Looks to me he’s tried to go around it and it’s got caught up in the grass cutter.
“There probably is an explanation.”
This comes after footage in December showed a council worker ramming into a furious homeowner who was protesting over double yellow lines outside her home.
Monika D’Agate had her foot squashed six times by the machine after she tried to stop the staff member outside her home in Belvedere, southeast London.
Monika, who has lived in the exclusive neighbourhood for 32 years, said she felt she was living in a “dictatorship” after her petition against the lines was “completely ignored” by Bexley Council.
She was caught on CCTV footage standing in front of the contractor’s machine and challenging him.
But the worker, donning a hi-viz jacket, is seen ramming into the mum-of-one’s foot before she eventually relents and steps aside.
In a statement, Bexley Council labelled the “use of force” by the contractor as “unacceptable”.
