A CAR park in Chippenham which offers low-paid workers cheaper parking has suffered vandalism for the fifth time, prompting anger from the charity that owns the land.

Located off Westmead Lane, the car park is owned by the Chippenham Borough Lands Charity and one of the 30 spots available for people on minimum wage for just £10 a month.

But the barrier leading in and out of the car park has been the target of vandals in the past six months, with the latest incident occurring between 6.30pm on Friday (May 13) and 9am on Saturday (May 14), after it was bent and the magnetic clamp ripped off.

“It’s just frustrating, this is costing us money, about £2,000, that could be better spent elsewhere,” said Phil Tansley, CEO of Chippenham Borough Lands Charity.

“The money we get goes into the pot that helps vulnerable people, it’s not to make money like Wiltshire Council make money on their parking.

“The trustees are looking at all options at the moment, do you replace it again, install CCTV at an expense to the charity?”

The initiative at the car park is part of a trial organised between Borough Lands and Chippenham BID to help those who would otherwise struggle to pay for parking in the town centre.

Denise Lloyd, newly appointed chair of the accessibility and car parking sub-committee for Chippenham BID, said: “It is truly disappointing to see that the barrier at Westmead Car Park, which is owned by Chippenham Borough Lands Charity, has been broken again for the fifth time.

“Chippenham BID have worked closely alongside the charity to enable their car park to be used to provide cheaper parking spaces for low income employees within the town, so that they are guaranteed spaces with their permit.

“It is one of the initiatives that the Chippenham BID have brought forward through the accessibility and car parking sub-committee and has worked well for a variety of businesses within the town.

“The continued destruction of the barrier has cost Chippenham Borough Lands Charity more money to repair and is becoming a genuine concern for the charity, as these vital funds could be used for something else to further benefit the town.

“We hope that we are able to continue working with Borough Lands to provide this facility for low paid workers in the town centre and will work with them to help find a resolution to the problem.”

Anyone with information regarding the vandalism is asked to contact police on 101.