A playground in a Co Louth park, which opened just a week ago, has been extensively damaged by vandals.
Much of the play equipment at the public playground in St Helena Park in Dundalk had graffiti daubed on it overnight on 20 December, as did on much of the macadam surface and the soft play surface areas.
The park reopened last week following a refurbishment costing €480,000.
Louth County Council said that as a result of the vandalism the park was closed throughout the day on 20 December to facilitate repair works and the removal of graffiti.
It was reopened later in the day, but will need further deep cleaning in the new year, they said.
In a statement, the council said it has been working to upgrade playgrounds across the county over the last few months, "with a focus on providing imaginative, inclusive play for children of all ages and abilities".
The statement went on to explain that the works at St Helena saw the installation of a range of disabled user play equipment, and includes a wide range of play units across the site such as a trampoline, zip lines, braille and sign language play units, all on a supersoft composite woodchip.
Temporary Chief Executive, Louth County Council Joe McGuinness said: "It is extremely disappointing that this playground has been subject to such vandalism.
"It was reopened only a matter of days ago, and the council were delighted to showcase the work which has been done to improve the play experience for all. We condemn the damage caused, and the disruption to families and children who have been enjoying the new facilities at the park."
The council said that the vandalism has been reported to gardaí and an investigation is under way.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Dundalk Gardaí on 042 9388400 or Louth County Council on 042 93 35457.
