Mindless vandals have caused £30,000 of damage at West Lothian community football club in just two years

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Mindless vandalism has cost a West Lothian community football team a whopping £30,000 in just two years.Damage at Bankton Mains Football park has cost Murieston United Community Football Club between £20,000 and £30,000 over the last 24 months, according to a source at the club.The brunt of the vandalism takes place on the 3g park, with holes cut in the fence, artificial turf dug up and cut, litter left on the park, portaloo pushed on their sides, and the goals left in tatters.Murieston United has been a part of the Livingston community for nearly 40 years, supporting kids as young as five years old as well as putting on walking football for the elderly, and 5-a-side for those struggling with mental health.The destruction of property at the club’s grounds began over lockdown in 2020, with youths turning up in droves to congregate while social distancing was still meant to be in place.The most recent spate of vandalism took place early last week, with a 4x4 tearing up turf on the nearby grass parks and children's play area.Youth coaches and maintenance staff began to notice as the park would be filled with left- over litter from the weekend, finding old used barbecues, empty beer bottles, and even used condoms.Thomas Grant (42) is a locksmith who manages maintenance for Murieston’s grounds, as well as the Amateurs team, he said:“These groups of about 60 to 80 kids thinking they can do what they want have been taking the grounds for granted, it’s a total lack of respect for a space that’s served the community for generations.“I’m of two minds really, we want the grounds to be open to the community, for families to be able to play football with their kids, but how do we protect it?“Everything would be fine if the kids just