A POPULAR community area in Tavistock run by volunteers has seen an escalation of vandalism in recent weeks, including broken fence panels.

Crowndale football pitch and grounds, owned by Tavistock Community Football Club, has been the location for gatherings of people who have caused damage to the private property.

Allen Lewis, a caretaker of the pitch and buildings, said that people are, on frequent occasions, going to the pitches and littering, smashing bottles, burning the ground with their barbecues and had broken a fence.

Allen, a Tavistock town councillor whose ward encompasses the grounds, said the pitch — which officially opened in 2010 — had received lots of care and attention in recent years and it was a shame that a few people were destroying the grounds.

‘It’s very frustrating — we are all so proud of the grounds and it’s a lovely area,’ he added.

‘The pitch has been seeded and over seeded and fertilised and it should be resting — no one should even be on there as it’s private grounds owned by club.

‘We are all volunteers and we look after the facility so we can have an area for recreational sport — I wish people would just think about what they are doing.’