Football club's pitch set on fire by vandals

The pitch at Westfield Park in Denny has been extensively damaged by the fire

A football club faces a repair bill of up to £300,000 after its pitch was set on fire by vandals.

East of Scotland league side Dunipace FC said the artificial surface at Westfield Park in Denny suffered extensive damage.

The incident happened on Friday evening. No injuries were reported.

Dunipace initially cancelled its next home match against Preston Athletic before the club was offered the use of other pitches in the Falkirk area.

The game will now go ahead at Stenhousemuir's Ochilview Stadium.

It is believed some youth matches have had to be postponed.

In a tweet, the club said it was "absolutely heartbroken at the damage done" and asked people with any information about what happened to contact the police or club.

Local MSP and health secretary Michael Matheson also tweeted: "A brilliant community club doing great work in the local area have had their pitch badly damaged by mindless vandalism.

"It's heartbreaking for everyone at the club and the local community."

Police Scotland said it had received a report of a fire on Saturday morning.

A spokesperson said: "The fire was extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and there were no reports of any injuries.

"The fire is being treated as wilful and inquiries are ongoing.

"This fire caused a significant amount of damage and will have a substantial impact on the club and surrounding community.

"We are appealing for anyone who witnessed the fire, or anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously, to get in touch."