A 14-year-old male has caused extensive damage by setting alight a newly installed woodland pathway that links the villages of Polbeth and West Calder.
He been arrested and charged in connection with the incident, that occurred last Friday, February 10. The incident happened around 1pm, in the area of Chapelton Drive.
The total cost of the project was just under £200k. The boardwalk formed part of a project that upgraded 1.75km of path.
A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “There has been a considerable amount of fire damage at the site, resulting in the loss of around 30 metres of the boardwalk along the burn.
Gillian Barrie, from the CSFT, added: “We estimate that around six to seven thousand pounds worth of damage has been caused.
“Given the boardwalk was set on fire, we do not think that it makes much sense to replace the boardwalk with a like for like structure.
“A great deal of time, effort and expense was spent on planning and constructing the boardwalk and it is very sad that anyone would want to destroy it.”
Enquiries are ongoing to trace others believed to be involved in the incident, and anyone with any information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131.
