Damage to a Hampton playground could have been caused by dogs being trained to fight, neighbours fear.
A mini-spin that was badly damaged this week appeared to have bite marks in it, leading some to believe owners are forcing their dogs to sink their teeth into the protective rubber to condition them to fight, a practice identified elsewhere in the UK.
The mini-spin was repaired the same day, but some park users were worried the new apparatus would be damaged again.
Councillor for Hampton, Gareth Roberts, said there had been evidence of this activity in other parts of Hampton, with bite marks seen on low-hanging branches.
He said: "I sincerely hope that the damage isn't caused by people training their dogs for fighting purposes, though the evidence does rather point towards jaw strengthening techniques associated with that particularly disgusting activity.
"As the damage is happening under the cover of darkness, I am asking the council to look into ways in which the playground can be lit at night to deter this sort of behaviour."
One neighbour, who has been visiting the playground with his children for years, said the damage was an anomaly in a playground that rarely suffered vandalism of any kind but was not the first time it had happened.
He said: "Playgrounds are built to withstand a battering, so it is especially worrying how damaged it has become so quickly.
"The playground is in an area that gets very dark in the evenings, so maybe some sort of sensor-activated light would deter people from using it at night."
An RSPCA spokesman said it was unlikely a public place would be used to condition dogs in this way.
She said: "Dog fighters have been known to train their dogs to strengthen their jaws, but organised dog fighters are very unlikely to want to attract attention to their activities and would rarely do it in such a public place as a playground."
A Teddington vet said though it was a possibility, owners forcing their dog to chew the equipment was not necessarily the most likely cause of the damage.
She said: "That wouldn’t be my first thought, which would be maybe a dog has been tied up in the playground and has chewed it out of boredom."
If you have any information regarding animal cruelty, call the RSPCA on 0300 1234999.
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