Group of youths climb Winter Gardens in Great Yarmouth

Images posted to social media showed the group scaling the front of the Winter Gardens building in Great Yarmouth with their hoods pulled to cover their faces. 

They walked along a ledge before jumping over the front signage and hopping back down on to the unstable roof.

They were seen over the weekend (Image: Nikki Hubbard)

Nikki Hubbard, who witnessed the incident on Saturday, shared the pictures alongside the caption: "It was dangerous and hopefully they haven't caused any further damage to this beautiful old building.

"There were about four of them up there at one point."

The Winter Gardens was built between 1878 and 1881 in Torquay and purchased by J.W. Cockrill on behalf of Great Yarmouth Town Council for £1,300 in 1904.

For a century it served as an extension of the town's leisure and tourism industry until it fell into disrepair and was closed to the public in 2008.

The building has been out of use since 2008 (Image: Nikki Hubbard)

Great Yarmouth Councillor Tony Wright said: "I am very concerned to see that youngsters are seemingly putting their lives in danger by their actions in accessing the Winter Gardens and climbing over the structure.

"The reason for the hoardings around the building is to deter people from gaining access to the building.

"With funding now available, the Winter Gardens will be transformed into a wonderful accessible building open throughout the year.

"Unfortunately due to the complexity, it is going to take up to three years before completion however it is important that people understand the unsafe nature of the structure and do not access any part of the building."

Local councillor, Tony Wright, said they put their lives in danger (Image: Nikki Hubbard)

In 2021, the Winter Gardens received £10m in Lottery funding and the team is now working on a plan to restore and repurpose the building. 

A Great Yarmouth Borough Council spokesman added: ‘’The Winter Gardens will shortly be undergoing a multi-million-pound restoration.

‘’In its current state, the fabric of the building is not safe and trespassers who attempt to climb the structure or gain entry risk serious injury.

"The Winter Gardens is clearly closed off with secure hoardings and additional security measures and it remains closed to the public.

‘’There is CCTV in place and coverage is being expanded.

"Trespassers will always be reported to the police.’’