SPORTS teams from across Torfaen county borough have spoken out after being hit by several acts of vandalism this month.

Since the start of October, both Pontypool RFC and Cwmbran Celtic have had their facilities damaged, with incidents ranging from a deliberate fire to pitch damage caused by a car.

On Sunday, October 9, New Inn fire crews were called to a fire in the stands at Pontypool Park RFC, described by club boss Ben Jeffreys as ‘senseless and dangerous”.

After suffering several acts of vandalism over the years — including graffiti and ripped seats — the club installed CCTV to clamp down on the crime in 2014.

Although the recent damage was “superficial but unnecessary” Mr Jeffreys said he feels for the club’s volunteers and fans.

“It's an ongoing issue, we've had anything from smeared excrement on seats, to needles on try lines, and smashed seats,” he said.

“There's a strong foundation at this club now, we are doing so much good work on the field and off, and it's a big shame when these things happen.

"We've got dedicated volunteers who are angry at this and want to clean it up, they're the ones I feel for because they clean up after these incidents and do what they do for the love of the club.”

Despite CCTV being operational, Mr Jeffreys revealed that because the cameras were obscured by sunlight, there is “no viable footage” to rely on to bring a prosecution.

Two Cwmbran football fields were also hit by vandals, leaving one club with a bill of more than £1,000 to make the necessary repairs.

On Sunday, October 9, Cwmbran Celtic, who play their matches on Henllys Way, discovered their pitch had fallen foul of a car, which had driven on the grass.

Vandals left six-inch gouges in the pitch, making one of the pitches dangerous to play on — and club project officer Malcolm Jarrett, believes that money spent on protecting the pitches could have been betters spent on facilities for all teams, ranging from under six age groups to seniors.

“This is the latest in a series of vandalism acts we have had to suffer over the years which has cost the club thousands of pounds,” he said.

“We don’t think it was a deliberate attack against sports clubs in the area, or our own club, but it seems that someone has thought they are Lewis Hamilton and decided to drive around our pitch.”

A week earlier (October 2) Cwmbran Town Youth AFC experienced a similar problem with officials discovering that their council-leased pitches at Penylan Fields in Coed Eva had been vandalised.

It is believed an off-road motorbike had caused damaged to their pitch – the second time within the space of a year.

“It’s just one of those things. We believe it is largely just the actions of kids. Fortunately, the incident does not seem to be as bad as first thought," said Mark Williams, the club’s youth chairman.

“I sympathise with Cwmbran Celtic. We have managed to put extra polls in place to stop cars getting onto the pitch but it is more open at Cwmbran Celtic."

The Cwmbran Celtic vandalism was reported to Gwent Police (log number 191 10/10/16) but the incident at Penylan Fields was not formally logged with officers.

Pontypool RFC chief executive, Mr Jeffreys added, on Facebook, that the club hopes to seek additional security measures to safeguard the facility in the short term while striving for a long term solution.

Despite an ongoing campaign by the club to enclose the grounds, they're restricted by a historic park covenant as the park is privately owned, rather than council-owned.

A Torfaen County Borough Council spokesman added Pontypool RFC are “currently considering their future arrangements”.

"As soon as they have presented us with a plan for how they want to manage the rugby ground we will be in a position to the start the process of consulting with the public,” he said.

If you have any information on any of the three vandalism incidents, call Gwent Police on 101.