Two teenagers have been arrested for the arson attack on the Peko Park public toilet earlier this week.

The males, aged 13 and 14, were charged with arson and damage to property and bailed to appear before the court on 13 September.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, police received reports of a fire at the toilet in the town’s main street park.

Shortly after there were more reports the cricket pitch at Purkiss Reserve was ablaze.

The cost to repair the public toilet is expected to exceed $100,000, while the cricket pitch around $5,000.

However it was the time to fix the pitch and the effect on local community sport that was the most damaging.

Barkly Regional Council CEO Steve Moore said enough is enough.

“We have had our supermarket burned down, now our public toilets, what next?”he said.

“How long before someone is injured or killed because someone is playing fire?”

Mr Moore said earlier this week there was no guarantee the toilet would be replaced pending the insurance outcome and a tight financial year for Council.

This article appeared in Tennant & District Times, 13 August 2021.