'Senseless' vandal tears up football pitch with 4x4

Children's football matches could be abandoned after a 'senseless' Range Rover driver tore up a village pitch in his vehicle.
The damageThe damage
The damage

The shocking incident took place around 8-45pm on Monday when Pendle Forest Sports Club chairman Darren Helliwell witnessed the 4x4 churning up the field in Fence.

He said: “I was in the clubhouse emptying dehumidifiers from an earlier flood we’d had when I heard the car.

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“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it doing ‘doughnuts’ from one goalmouth to the other. How anybody in their right minds can think that's acceptable is beyond me.

RuinedRuined
Ruined

“The pitch is absolutely ruined and we may have to cancel our spring and summer matches that were planned for the local children. I’m disgusted. If it was kids on motorbikes you could maybe understand it, but this was obviously a grown adult. It's pathetic, they're old enough to know better."

Luckily, Mr Helliwell managed to catch the vehicle's registration number and has now forwarded it onto the police who are investigating.

He added: "The football posts were up on the pitch so there's no excuse for whoever did this. They cannot plead ignorance that it was just a field. We will now have to assess the damage and how much it will cost to repair. Some of the indents are up to 30cm deep. It's disgraceful."

Anybody with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.