Vandals as young as six target football club
Storage containers were broken into and football equipment covered in paint at Suffolk Road, Gorleston. - Credit: Google Maps
Parents of children as young as six have been spoken to by police after a football club's facilities were vandalised.
Police say children aged between six and nine were caught with spray paint on their hands having broken into storage containers in Suffolk Road, Gorleston, on Sunday (August 22).
FLASHBACK: The damage to the Suffolk Road pavilion in August 2019. - Credit: Archant
Club chairman Ben Flaxman said a clean-up operation involving young players meant they were able to salvage much of what was damaged adding: "It was just time consuming and wasn't needed.
"We are all just volunteers at the end of the day.
"They threw paint everywhere and damaged some footballs but we have salvaged most of it and washed a lot of paint off.
You may also want to watch:
"We just wanted people to be aware of the impact. It's not an excuse but kids will be kids. We are not looking for apologies."
The incident comes two years almost to the day that the club's headquarters went up in flames.
Thousands of pounds worth of Shrublands FC's football kits and games equipment was lost in the fire, triggering a huge rallying response from the club's "football family."
FLASHBACK: The damage to the Suffolk Road pavilion in August 2019. - Credit: Archant
Most Read
- 1 New Banksy-style mural adds to town's crop of street art
- 2 Rovers return? New landlords relaunch village pub with parties and Sunday lunches for dogs
- 3 A47 closed due to two-car crash at Acle straight
- 4 Historic pub poised for mini-market use bringing 20 jobs
- 5 Inquest begins into death of decorator who died at home
- 6 Family devastated after death of much-loved and well-known horse
- 7 'A wonderful place': A look back at Gorleston's 'second high street'
- 8 Two people injured in A47 crash
- 9 Part of A47 closed due to crash
- 10 Acrobats and falcons wow crowds at the Out There Festival
Funding has been secured from the FA and borough council for a new pavilion with a start date due to be announced any day, Mr Flaxman said, adding: "Once the pavilion is built we can have our CCTV back. We are waiting for a date which we should know any day."
Police confirmed they were called to the Shrublands Football Club at the Claydon Pavilion on Suffolk Road, Gorleston on Sunday just after 5pm.
They were alerted after a number of children were seen to break into storage containers, removing football equipment, damaging some of it and spray painting the containers and nearby portable toilets.
Officers were immediately sent to the scene and after arriving, stopped four children found with spray paint on their hands.
The parents of all children, aged between six and nine, have been contacted and spoken to by police.
The club has more than ten teams playing all ages from three-year-olds to adults and is run by volunteers.
