Waterford Council have expressed their 'great disappointment' with the vandalism of a carved structure on the Waterford Greenway on Friday last.
The fire service was called to the scene at Carriganore early on Friday morning where the large wooden structure was on fire.
They extinguished it at about 7.30 but the art-piece has been completely destroyed.
Gardaí are treating it as an incident of criminal damage and are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
In a statement issued to WLR, Waterford Council reaffirmed their commitment to developing the area and called for anyone who saw what happened to make themselves known.
"It is with great disappointment that Waterford City and County Council learned that the wooden sculpture, Éiriu, on Waterford Greenway, was destroyed by fire. The Council was informed by Waterford Gardaí on Friday morning, September 30th - The wooden sculpture, commissioned by South East Technological University, was handcrafted by John Hayes of Special Branch Carvers. This collaborative project between Waterford City and County Council and SETU was to highlight the biodiversity of Waterford’s award-winning Greenway."
Johnny Brunnock, Trails Officer with Waterford City and County Council said that SETU and the Local Authority will continue to work together to enhance this amenity, in order to give locals and visitors a unique Greenway experience.
Waterford City and County Council advises that anyone with information to contact Waterford Garda Station on 051 305300 as they continue to investigate this incident.
