A POPULAR park in Harlech which is blighted by littering and vandalism is to receive a £3,000 upgrade thanks to a scheme using criminals’ ill-gotten gains.

Harlech Community Parks has been awarded the money from a special fund set up by north Wales police and crime commissioner Winston Roddick and North Wales Police­.

Harlech Community Parks was one of 14 worthy winners from across north Wales sharing a total pot of £42,000.

The community parks scheme aims to upgrade Harlech’s three public parks and the grant will enable them to make a start by providing new vandal-proof fencing and disabled access gates at the King George V Park.

Julie Thomas from the parks group said: “This will provide a starting point to upgrade the parks in our area.

“Our fences have been vandalised on many occasions and this money will mean we can replace them with more durable fencing and add disabled access gates so they can enjoy the parks as well."

She added: “Our playgrounds in Harlech badly need an upgrade and getting this money is a good start for us.”

The cash seized from criminals was shared among organisations working to help tackle antisocial behaviour and combat crime and disorder and takes the total taken from criminals and handed over to the public to £120,000 in three years.

Community groups were urged to apply for awards last autumn using a form on the websites of the police and crime commissioner and North Wales Police.

Mr Roddick said: “In 2013 we launched a pilot participatory budget grant scheme because we believed the people of north Wales had positive, innovative ideas for reducing crime and antisocial behaviour.

“I also believed that the community should decide which of those projects should get financial support.

“I would like to thank those communities and community groups which developed innovative and interesting projects and the communities for taking part in the decision-making.

“The response demonstrated to me that communities can work together to make our public places safer.

“In 2015, 32 projects went forward for the public vote, and almost 7,000 members of the public across north Wales cast their vote for their preferred winners.

“Fourteen projects were chosen across north Wales with grants tot­alling over £42,000, which have been funded partly through monies recovered from criminals through the Proceeds of Crime Act and partly from the funds which have I have allocated from my Commissioner’s Fund.

“I would like to thank each and every one of you for submitting your ideas and for developing projects that help to support the Police and Crime Plan and aim to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour in your areas­.”

“Community groups such as yours are vital to the citizens of north Wales, and in helping to ensure that our communities continue to be some of the safest places to live, work and visit in the UK.”