The beloved Queen’s Gardens landmark has been temporarily switched off due to the damage
The Rose Bowl Fountain in Queen’s Gardens, Hull, pictured when it is operating(Image: Hull City Council)
A senior councillor has said it is “incredibly disappointing” the iconic Rose Bowl Fountain in Hull city centre has been vandalised. The Queen’s Gardens landmark has been temporarily switched off as a result of the incident.
Hull City Council say, during the late May bank holiday weekend, entry was forced into the fountain’s control room causing “significant damage to essential operating equipment”. This has resulted in the electronic system controlling the fountain needing to be reprogrammed. Meanwhile, the fountain needs draining and cleaning before it can be safely brought back into operation.
Queen’s Gardens recently fully reopened to the public following a £21m refurbishment. Work on the major project began in 2022.
Councillor Mark Ieronimo, portfolio holder for transport and infrastructure at Hull City Council, said: “It’s incredibly disappointing to see the Rose Bowl Fountain targeted in this way, especially during the opening week of Queen’s Gardens. This kind of reckless and irresponsible behaviour is completely unacceptable. It’s not only resulted in the damage of a much-loved feature, but it is also going to cost taxpayer money to repair and clean – which could be better spent elsewhere.
“The Rose Bowl fountain is a key part of Queen’s Gardens, and we know many residents and visitors who are visiting will be disappointed to see it switched off. We are working hard to repair the damage and get the fountain up and running as soon as possible, so everyone can enjoy it again.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding while the issue is being resolved and urge anyone with information about this incident to come forward.”
The council is working closely with Humberside Police to identify those responsible for the vandalism and urges anyone who witnessed the incident to call 101, quoting crime reference number 26000076036.
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here.