Sefton Council has said it is “exploring options” after a braille map covered in Perspex by Kings Gardens was widely mocked on social media.
A pair of tactile braille maps installed on the promenade have been covered in perspex for several years, rendering them unusable for braille readers. Sefton Council said that a staffing levels and risk of vandalism mean the structure must usually remain locked.
A photograph of the map was shared on X, formerly Twitter, on the @TerribleMaps account, which boasts 1.8m followers.
In response X user Jeremy Smith said “Good initiative to create such a map, but poor judgement for keeping those who need it from ever using it” while @timmyvoe replied: “Yeah that sounds about right for Southport.”
On Wednesday morning, one of the maps was covered in graffiti and stickers, while the second had been varnished with bird droppings.
A Sefton Council spokesperson said: “When the tactile map was introduced as part of the previous Heritage Lottery scheme over 10 years ago, staffing levels at Green Sefton meant that a member of staff was available to open and close the map daily providing visitors to King Gardens with access during the park opening hours.
“Unfortunately, the cover is required to protect the map from potential graffiti and vandalism.
“As staff numbers have fallen in line with budgets, we are no longer able to provide this daily opening and closure, but we recognise the importance of this map for some visitors and are exploring options to ensure the map is available.
“In the meantime, people can get in touch with Green Sefton to arrange for the map to be open during their visit by emailing greensefton@sefton.gov.uk.”