A POPULAR tourist attraction has been shut to the public for good after repeated attacks by vandals.
The Greenfield Mills heritage site, within the Greenfield Valley Heritage Park, was closed last summer after a spate of vandalism attacks rendered the historic mill buildings unsafe.
It was hoped the scheduled ancient monument, which has also been damaged by weathering, could be repaired and reopened, but heritage bosses have now ruled there is no point.
The site is owned by Flintshire Council and operations manager Chris Wright said: “It has been assessed by safety officers at Flintshire Council and the buildings are considered dangerous.
“Some of the damage is no doubt caused by frost and weathering, but a lot of the other damage has been caused by vandalism.
“It would not make any sense to do the work needed to carry out the repairs, which will be not insubstantial, only for people to vandalise it again.
“We would be here in seven years time doing exactly the same thing.”
In 2000 the Greenfield Valley Trust secured a heritage lottery grant of £350,000 to restore the site, £170,000 of which was spent restoring the mills, which were built in the 1770s and had been used for milling copper, cotton and grain.
As part of the restoration project safety barriers were installed and viewing points set up so tourists could view the ancient buildings safely, but these have now been destroyed by vandals who have knocked down walls and ripped out the safety barriers.
Mr Wright estimates it could cost up to £60,000 to repair the damage, but funding is not currently available.
It is hoped however that once funding is secured and the repair work is completed the site could be opened to pre-booked groups for tours, but it will never be open to the general public again.
Mr Wright added: “It’s very sad but we have to be realistic. The fact the site is quite remote means if anyone wants to cause damage they can do so uninterrupted.”
Cllr Matt Wright, Flintshire Council’s executive member for tourism and regeneration, said the minority had ruined it for everyone.
“It’s a sad indictment of the society we live in,” he said.
“It’s quite a significant tourist destination in Flintshire, it’s of historic importance and it would be nice for people to wander round it unaccompanied, but it’s not realistic anymore.
“We have all been let down by a tiny minority who can’t behave in a reasonable manner.”
Temporary fences have been put up to keep people out, but talks are ongoing with CADW with a view to putting up permanent fences.
The remainder of the heritage park is open as normal to visitors.