A DEVICE worth £1,000 has been ripped from the outside wall of The Anchorage Centre in Tavistock and destroyed by vandals. The remote control gives vulnerable people from the Tavistock area access through automatic doors into the centre in Chapel Street. After it was damaged, the device was dumped in Garden Lane, behind the centre. This was the third attack on Tavistock Area Support Service's Anchorage Centre. Previously, a switch on a control panel was tampered with, and post has beenstolen. It follows a recent incident in which the disabled toilets in nearby Bedford Car Park were damaged. Andy Lyle, TAAS's general manager, said: 'This isn't just an act of sheer criminal damage, it also means that some of our clients are having great difficulty gaining entry to the building, while others are unable to gain access at all. This is an absolute nightmare. 'The automatic doors are very heavy and difficult to open, especially without the remote-control. 'They were only put in place in August from grants we received from local trusts and now the control has been damaged it will cost £1,000 to have it all replaced – it's sheer vandalism.' The Anchorage Centre provides support for the over 55s, many of whom are isolated and disabled. It offers music and movement sessions, social afternoons and many other services. The centre also operates at ten other drop-in centres throughout Devon and Cornwall. Mr Lyle said:'It's the inconvenience to our clients which is annoying. The other day there should have been two stroke drop-in groups and a dementia café but they just couldn't get in. 'Now we have everything back which was taken, we have to try and sort it all out to stop this from happening again. It will take around two to three weeks to get it sorted.' If anyone has concerns about getting into the building they should contact Andy Lyle on 01822 616958. If anyone has information regarding vandalism incidents at the Anchorage Centre, they should contact PC Izzy Burns at Tavistock Police Station on 08452 777444 and quote the crime reference number JT/06/1438.
