Upon arriving to remove the consequences of the incident, specialists from UAB „Poolservice.lt” found near the fountain, what is believed to be, a bottle of used dishwashing detergent „Fairy“ that caused the foam. A company employee carrying out the work also recorded another situation – even while the fountain was being cleaned and the incident’s consequences were being removed, teenagers near it continued to play with the foam formed.
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At first glance, such a scene may seem fun, and on social networks – even worthy of an impressive video. However, specialists who maintain fountains warn: this is not an innocent prank.
When foaming, chemical, or other unsuitable substances enter the fountain system, the normal operation of the device is disrupted, the water system is contaminated, and pumps, filters, and other technical equipment may be damaged. In such a case, the fountain may need to be stopped, the water drained, the entire system cleaned, the equipment checked, and only then prepared again for operation.
The head of the company maintaining the fountains, Mantvydas Šakalys, says the biggest problem is the still widespread belief that pouring foaming substances into the fountain is just a fun prank. “From the outside, it can certainly look fun – lots of foam, an impressive sight, you can film an impressive video. But the fountain is not a bathtub, and its water is not just water in a basin. Underneath it operates a whole engineering system – pumps, filters, pipelines, and other equipment. Pouring unsuitable substances contaminates the entire system and can disrupt its operation. Therefore, this is not an innocent prank – it is damage to someone else’s, in this case public, property,” says M. Šakalys.
Foam party that may come with a price
Specialists emphasize that the consequences of such an incident do not end when the foam disappears. Chemical substances circulate with the water in the fountain system, so to restore its normal operation, it may be necessary to completely drain the water, wash the system, clean the filters, check the pumps, and only then restart the fountain.
This means not only additional work for specialists but also real expenses.
This is not an innocent prank – it is damage to someone else’s, in this case public, property.
Such actions, depending on the extent of the damage and other circumstances, may lead to administrative, and in more serious cases, criminal liability. In addition, compensation for the material damage caused may be required – costs of cleaning, repairing the fountain, damaged equipment, or other restoration work.
“We would like young people to understand a very simple thing: public property is nobody’s property. On the contrary – it belongs to all of us and is maintained with the funds of the city and its residents. If due to a few minutes of fun the fountain needs to be turned off, drained, cleaned, or equipment repaired, someone ultimately has to pay for that fun,” emphasizes M. Šakalys.
Fountains are monitored by cameras – offenders usually do not remain anonymous
UAB „Poolservice.lt“ also draws attention to another circumstance often overlooked when “pranking” in city spaces. A large part of city fountains and the public spaces around them are monitored by video surveillance cameras.
If a possible public order violation or property damage is recorded, the video material can be handed over to the police. They, after assessing the circumstances, identify the offenders and decide on the application of liability provided by law.
“Today, you should not expect that if you poured detergent into the fountain, filmed yourself, and the story ended there. Public spaces are monitored by cameras, so such actions are often recorded. The material is handed over to the police, and offenders can be identified quite quickly. Then a few minutes of fun becomes not funny at all,” says M. Šakalys.
This is not the first such case
According to the fountain expert, foam in city fountains is not a new phenomenon. Similar incidents have occurred before.
One similar case, according to M. Šakalys, was recorded at the Vilnius Town Hall fountain. At that time, the pranksters were identified – minors, so the incident did not end with just cleaning the fountain: the parents had to deal with responsibility and compensation for the damage caused, and the case was evaluated by law enforcement.
Another similar story about ten years ago happened in Palanga, at the intersection of Vytautas and Jūratė streets in the light and music fountain. Foaming liquid was poured into it. According to M. Šakalys, after the incident video was made public, the girl who performed the act came to the police herself, confessed, and sincerely regretted it.
According to data from UAB „Poolservice.lt“, the damage caused by the incident was then estimated at about 15 thousand euros. However, considering that the girl confessed and regretted her actions, the municipality decided not to continue the claim against her and withdrew the police report.
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“The Palanga story is a good example from both sides. On the one hand, pouring detergent into the fountain, which at first glance seems innocent, can cause five-figure damage. On the other hand, the person understood what they did, confessed, and took responsibility. We would like such situations not to happen at all, but if a mistake has been made, the ability to admit it is also a very important lesson in responsibility,” says M. Šakalys.
Responsibility may also fall on parents
If it is established that public property was damaged by minors, the consequences may affect not only the pranksters themselves but also their families.
In Lithuanian law, minors’ liability for damage depends on their age. For damage caused by younger children, parents or guardians may be held responsible in cases prescribed by law. Older minors are responsible for their own damage, but if they do not have enough property or income to compensate, in cases provided by law, the obligation to compensate may also fall on their parents or guardians.
This means that a few minutes of “prank” can have a very concrete financial expression: it may be necessary to compensate for the costs of cleaning the fountain, replacing the water, washing the system, specialists’ work, and in case of equipment damage – its repair or replacement.
Depending on the damage caused and other specific circumstances of the case, administrative or criminal liability may also arise. So a seemingly fun prank can end not only with a talk with officers but also with a real bill for damage removal.
“Parents sometimes think that teenagers’ pranks in the city are their own business. But when public property is damaged, the consequences can return to the family – very directly, financially. Therefore, the beginning of September is a good opportunity to talk with children not only about grades or returning to school but also about responsibility for their actions. Public property belongs to no one – we all pay for its repair and maintenance,” says expert M. Šakalys.
The beginning of September is worth discussing this at home too
According to Mantvydas Šakalys, the beginning of September is a suitable time not only to remind children about a safe way to school or behavior in class. As children and teenagers become more independent and spend more time in the city without adults, it is important to talk about their behavior in public spaces and responsibility for their actions.
Especially telling, according to the company, was the situation this time when, while specialists were already removing the foam caused by the incident, teenagers near the fountain still played with the foam. UAB „Poolservice.lt“ emphasizes that there is no reason to claim that the teenagers captured in the photos are related to the actual pouring of the foaming substance into the fountain.
“We do not want to moralize or scare. In youth, we all have done foolish things. But there is a difference between a fun prank and an act that damages someone else’s property, causes danger, or requires hundreds or even thousands of euros to fix. When specialists are already cleaning the fountain, and foam is still being played with nearby, it clearly shows that we need to talk more about where fun ends and responsibility begins,” says M. Šakalys.
The role of parents here is especially important. Children need not only to have behavioral boundaries set but also to be explained why city infrastructure – fountains, benches, lighting, greenery, or other public space objects – is not meant for experiments or creating social media content at their expense.
The fountain – a complex engineering device
Specialists remind that a city fountain is a much more complex device than it may seem from the outside. Underwater and in technical rooms operate pumps, filtration systems, pipelines, automation, and electrical equipment. Any substance entering the system that is not intended for it can affect its operation. Therefore, detergents, foaming, coloring, or other chemical substances must not be poured into fountains, nor should objects be thrown or otherwise interfere with their operation.
“Fountains in the city are meant for everyone to enjoy. We would very much like that at the beginning of September, along with new notebooks and backpacks, children are reminded of one simple rule – fun is fun as long as your entertainment does not endanger another person and does not damage what does not belong to you,” concludes company head Mantvydas Šakalys.
UAB „Poolservice.lt“ urges residents who notice vandalism of city fountains or other public infrastructure not to remain indifferent and to inform the responsible city services about such cases.
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