OKEHAMPTON Argyle Football Club is to install CCTV in an effort to identify vandals repeatedly targeting their pitch and causing hundreds of pounds of damage.

Members voted at their recent AGM to press ahead with the deterrent after the latest incident when eight sponsors’ signs were ripped off the fences around the pitch over the weekend of July 9-11.

Club vice-chairman Russell Metherell said this had been just the latest in a succession of vandalism the club has suffered in the last 18 months.

‘The signs cost about £100 each, so that is £800 we are having to claim off our insurance to replace them.

‘It looks like they were kicked off from the outside. It must have happened over the weekend, two weekends ago. We must have been on the route of that particular gang that night.

‘There have been a series of things happening over the past 18 months. Our window were broken after stones were thrown through them and we had to get them all replaced with toughened glass. Another time some children set fire to the dugout beside the pitch. Luckily I was nearby and put it out before it could do any more damage.’

He added: ‘There seem to be gangs who, from what we hear, are aged around 14 or 15 roaming around with nothing to do, amusing themselves by causing damage. The problem is we are so isolated where we are. When the kids are down there, no one can see them.

‘We are investigating CCTV and whether we should link up with the CCTV being installed for the town or whether we need to set up our own separate system.’

Okehampton Town Council is in the process of installing a CCTV system in the town, as part of a scheme being part-funded by the police.

The three park keepers in Simmons Park are also now wearing bodycams, following a spate of vandalism in the park and an assault on one of them by a youth.

Mr Metherell said that the vandalism at the club, which is next door to Simmons Park, was pushing up their insurance premiums, which meant a knock-on cost to club members.

‘I would say that over the last couple of years we have had an incident of vandalism which is serious enough to claim off our insurance. We have graffiti, things being moved out of place when they have been mucking around. Someone set fire to a wheelbarrow full of rubbish when we had been doing some work on the pitch.

‘It is just really annoying, given that we are a voluntary organisation we can’t afford to keep paying out the excess on the insurance. Having CCTV would help us identify those involved and contact their parents. It really is up to the parents to be responsible for their own children’s actions.’

He suggested the vandals could be invited to help with reparation work at the club. ‘That would make it up to us and they might think twice about what they are doing in future.’

The club has put out an appeal for more information on the vandalism. Contact Russell Metherell on 07968 438022. The police said last week that they are addressing the recent surge of anti-social behaviour in the town.