Hang onto your stuff while skating at Nathan Phillips Square, or somebody else may own it by the time you unlace your skates.

Few things are more pleasurable than going for a twirl on a patch of smooth, frosty ice, and one of the only places the public can do it in the downtown core is on the skating rink at City Hall.

It’s crowded in peak periods, but it’s a great place to mix it up with expert skaters and beginners, often newcomers to Canada who are thrilled to be taking their first shaky strides on ice.

The exhilaration and simple joy of skating seems to be appreciated more by kids who are just figuring it out than those who grew up playing hockey and take their skill for granted.

But the fun is spoiled if you come off the ice to find your shoes or coat have disappeared, which seems to be happening too often this winter.

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A reader who knows a lot about the situation emailed to say all 105 of the lockers available to secure personal items have been decommissioned since the rink was first flooded in mid-November.

“We need your help,” said the reader, who asked not to be named. “The lockers at Nathan Phillips Square are out of service and will not be repaired for the rest of the season.

“The reason we’re told is that the contractor (who services them) has gone out of business. As a result there has been a marked increase in theft of patrons’ personal belongings left unsecured on the benches.

“It’s sad because many of the victims are tourists. Passports, phones, money, even their shoes.”

The reader went on to say that “we have zero lockers functioning. We have 15 or so with the lock mechanism, but they are missing their keys, rendering them useless.”

We went there and spotted signs outside the locker room that said they’re closed, and similar signs at the concession stand where skates are rented out and sharpened.

Meanwhile, benches around the periphery of the ice were piled with clothing and personal goods, like a picnic for pilferers.

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STATUS: It took a while for the city to respond, but a note arrived Friday from Vanessa Enskaitis, a parks and recreation official who said: “City staff are aware that some of the lockers in the Nathan Phillips Square locker room are non-functional and we appreciate this may be an inconvenience for some skaters. We are assessing the repairs required and are expediting this work. Until then, the city has advised skaters not to secure their personal items inside the lockers.”

Like we said, hang onto your stuff.

What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Email jlakey@thestar.ca or follow @TOStarFixer on Twitter

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