Leicestershire cricket pitch destroyed by weedkiller leaving Barkby United with £10k repair bill
Vandals armed with weedkiller have destroyed a village cricket club in Leciestershire, as ITV News Central correspondent Peter Bearne reports.
A village cricket club in Leicestershire has been left devastated after its pitch was destroyed by vandals, who sprayed weedkiller over it.
The attack on Barkby United Cricket Club's ground happened during the early hours of the morning on Sunday 18 June.
All of the grass on the pitch has been killed and it's now unplayable.
The club says it fears repairs will cost £10,000, while around 40 games have now been affected with the club left without a pitch for its home games - with a loss of revenue estimated around £5,000.
Barkby United has three Saturday teams, two Sunday teams, one which plays in midweek and a range of junior sides ranging from Under 10s to Under 17s, all of which play on the pitch.
But, with it out of action, up to as many as 40 games will now have to be rearranged before the season ends.
The club says it will result in a loss of match-day earnings and the cost of finding a new home venue while repairs are underway will be “far from negligible” for their finances too.Barkby United are working with Leicestershire Police, which is investigating the vandalism.
The club says: "Whilst CCTV evidence provides a promising starting point, we urge anyone who may have any knowledge of this incident to make themselves known to Leicestershire Police."Those who live within the Barkby, Barkby Thorpe, Beeby & Scraptoft vicinity, we kindly ask that any Ring Doorbell or CCTV footage is checked between the hours of 01:00 & 01:45, as we move towards identifying the vehicle involved in this crime."We also make a plea to anyone who drove through Barkby at this time, who may have seen activity at the Beeby Road ground, to come forward with any information."
At time of writing, a fundraising page to help pay for repairs has raised over £5,500.