Vandals have ruined a Sheffield football pitch by driving over it in off road vehicles.

Due to this, local youth football club Halfway Juniors have been forced to cancel their home football matches, disappointing many young children.

It is the latest act of destruction on Halfway school pitches which has been defaced almost weekly by problem drivers.

Tracey Dickinson, welfare officer at Halfway Juniors, said: “This just keeps happening. And it’s not like it’s just a one off. It’s like a weekly thing and we are getting sick of this now. It’s such a shame for the community.”

The club has been forced to call off eight games in the last few weeks as a result of the problem.

She added: “There is potentially 15 kids in each team and then there’s their family and friends that come and spectate. It’s a lot of people to disappoint.”

Halfway Juniors members (Photo: Courtesy of Halfway Juniors)

Mosborough councillor, Tony Downing has been working on a solution to the problem. There is a meeting scheduled for April where interested parties are hoping to discuss the issue to come up with a cost effective solution. He suggests that fencing would cost between £20,000 and £25,000 so they are looking at an ecological solution instead. This would involve planting strategically placed trees to prevent vehicle access to the fields.

Councillor Downing

Coun Downing said: “I’m working as hard as I can to try and get the cost down and do it in a way that works for everybody as fencing would be cost prohibitive for the council.

“If we can try and get something in place, for the start of the next football season in September then we will have achieved something.”