Wrexham: Rugby club suffer fifth incident of vandalism

Members turned up to the club over the weekend to find posts had been ripped down, as well as significant motorbike tracks across two pitches. 

The club, based on Bryn Estyn Lane, has junior teams for children as young as five, and provides rugby to over 300 children each week. 

They also share pitches with Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, which is where the vandalism occurs. 

While the vandalism is extremely frustrating for the club and its volunteers, it is sadly not a surprise. 

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This most recent incident is the fifth time the club has had to deal with posts being torn apart.

Now the club's members are debating whether or not to repair them, which if they do will run the risk of being vandalised again. 

The posts have been ripped down (Image: Wrexham Rugby Club)

A club spokesperson said: "We are a charity run by volunteers and we provide rugby to over 300 local children each week.

"This is the fifth time we have had the posts vandalised and each time we've had to get them repaired and then re-erected.

"Damage to the posts not only creates a safety risk in the short term but it now means we can’t use that pitch for games which means potentially having to cancel matches.

"As a club, we now don’t feel we can put these posts back up which will cause ongoing problems on how we can use the pitch."

On top of the vandalism to the posts, the club regularly has to deal with motorbikes tearing across their pitches. 

Tyre marks on the pitches. (Image: Wrexham Rugby Club)

There have even been incidents when bikes have raced across pitches during training sessions and even matches. 

The spokesperson added: "The motorbike damage causes a real possibility of serious injury as the tracks left in the pitch are quite deep. A player could quite easily break an ankle during a game.

"The other safety issue with the motorbikes is we’ve had them racing through the pitches when rugby games and training are on and it goes without saying the dangers that this poses."

A North Wales Police spokesperson said: "At around 1.30pm on Sunday, January 8, we received a report of criminal damage to Wrexham Rugby Club including damage to the goal posts and pitch.

"The incident is understood to have taken place sometime between Christmas and Sunday, January 8.

"Patrols will be increased in the area and anyone with information is asked to contact us on 101, or via our website, using reference 23000023536."