Fareham Borough Council and the police are being urged to wage war on vandals to cut down the soaring costs of vandalism to borough residents.

Damage to play areas, trees and shrubs and other facilities has cost the council's leisure department more than £20,000 in the last few months.

Leisure committee members are being urged at their meeting tomorrow to approve a crime and disorder action plan to combat the problem.

Cllr Peter Davies has tabled a motion to be discussed at the meeting, urging the council to press the police to be more vigilant over vandalism.

He is also calling on the council to highlight the cost of vandalism so council taxpayers are aware of what they are having to pay to repair the damage - and he is urging residents to report acts of vandalism and those involved to the police and council.

Council officers are suggesting that all of the council's direct services should report the total cost of vandalism. They are recommending closer monitoring of vandalism, more accurate costing of repairs and the reporting of all incidents of damage and anti-social behaviour to the police.

Council leader Sean Woodward said: "It is a terrible problem. In the last few months we have had more than £20,000 damage to our playgrounds and parks.

"This means that every resident in the borough has had to stump up 50p to pay for the damage when there are far better things for money to be spent on. We are placing a high priority on asking residents to report every incident of criminal damage to the council. These reports can then be passed to the police and used to justify the need for more police on the beat in the borough - not cuts."