VANDALS have hit a junior football team’s pitch for a third time in two months.

Anti-social behaviour in the Mossbay area of Workington has seen people driving onto the Jane Pit football pitch, creating deep ruts in the playing surface.

As well as a public space, the field is home to Sunday League players and Senhouse Juniors FC.

This third act of vandalism, the second in the space of a week, occurred last weekend.

Marie Money, secretary of Senhouse Juniors FC, said: “As a club we’re absolutely devastated.

“It’s upsetting for the parents as well who have to tell the kids that they’re pitch has been vandalised.”

Allerdale Borough Council has told the club of plans to erect a fence around the pitch to prevent the vandalism in future.

Existing damage to the playing surface will be repaired.

Before the plans became known, parents volunteered to help the club pay for repairs to the field.

Marie said: “They said ‘we’ll do anything we can to help secure the future of Senhouse’. There were messages coming in all day from our parents.

“There was even an elderly resident who lives opposite the pitch. Wwhen the kids play she sits and watches them out of the bedroom window.”

The elderly Mossbay Road resident volunteered to help the club if they needed to pick up the bill.

The club hopes their pitch will fixed by the time lockdown lifts.

Marie said: “We don’t know if that will be done by the time we resume playing.

“Once lockdown is finished we’re hoping grassroots sport will resume.”

“Last time Salterbeck FC let us use their pitch which we were so grateful for, but they’ll have their own games to catch up on. We’re hoping to resume play at the beginning of December."

Marie added: “We might have to hire artificial turf.”