Vandals target Billingham youth football club weeks after fire
- Published
vandals smashed toilets and sinks and pulled the clubhouse roof down
A youth football club has been targeted by vandals just weeks after arsonists set the clubhouse alight.
Billingham Juniors was still recovering from the blaze in June when its clubhouse was attacked again sometime between Monday and Wednesday.
Chairman Lee Shackleton said toilets and sinks had been smashed and a roof pulled down. More than £11,000 was raised by the community to help repair the fire damage.
Cleveland Police are investigating.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Mr Shackleton told BBC Radio Tees the long-term plan was to build a "bigger, better, stronger" clubhouse at the site on Wolviston Back Lane.
However, he said the fire damaged-building needed to be repaired to allow children to use the site when the season started in September.
"I couldn't believe it, we were just about to push the button on getting it rebuilt," he said.
"We were just about to put a temporary toilet back in there so the kids can play this next season. I don't allow kids to play on a site that doesn't have clean running water or a toilet."
He said the latest vandalism saw toilets and basins ripped from the wall and smashed and part of the roof pulled down.
Billingham Juniors' clubhouse was set alight in June
"It's just knocked us back weeks and months in being able to get he kids to play football on that site," Mr Shackleton said.
"Seven teams use that site. They now haven't got a facility."
He said the latest damage made him wonder "if it's worth it" as it was a "proper kick in the teeth".
But he said he was determined to get the site back open for the youngsters.
"It didn't look much but it was our home," Mr Shackleton said.
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, external, Facebook, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk, external.