South Shields football pitches left ‘unplayable’ due to damage caused by off-road vehicles
Vandals on off-road vehicles have damaged football pitches in South Shields.
Football pitches at The Dell, on Quarry Lane, in South Shields, have been left unplayable following vandalism caused by off-road vehicles.
The damage was discovered after local football teams arrived at the pitches last Sunday morning (January 26).
Following the incident, concerns have been raised to the Shields Gazette over whether the Sunday league teams will be able to play on their home pitches again this season.
South Tyneside Council has confirmed it is looking into repairing the pitches and that it will be continuing to work closely with Northumbria Police to clamp down on this sort of anti-social behaviour.
Cllr Jim Foreman, Lead Member for Housing and Community Safety, said: “We have been made aware of some vehicle damage in the Quarry Lane area to the local football pitches.
“We are reviewing the damage and looking at solutions to repair the pitches.
“The incident has been referred to our Community Safety Team who continue to work closely with Northumbria Police to tackle vehicle-related anti-social behaviour.
“We know that this is one of our residents’ top concerns and we are committed, including through the dedicated motorcycle taskforce, to disrupting anti-social riders.
“Information from local communities is vital in the taskforce's work, and we'd ask for people to continue to help us by providing information in confidence about where bikes are stored and who is riding them."
If you have any information about the incident, you can submit it to South Tyneside Council by emailing: [email protected].