Thetford youth football pitches wrecked after travellers force entry and camp illegally
A youth football club, Thetford Town Youth FC in Norfolk, was broken into last Friday by a group of travellers who used an angle grinder to force entry and then set up 20 caravans on the site illegally. The incident matters because it left the club facing costly damage and disruption to its pitches, affecting the young teams who play there.
CCTV footage captured a convoy of cars towing caravans arriving at around 3pm, with the group breaking locks, damaging the main gate and driving repeatedly over the match pitches. Some men also attempted to grind the locks off the goalposts. The group left two days later on Sunday 5 July at about 7.30pm, leaving behind dirty nappies, cans and a car seat. Club director Darren Iles said they filled five trailers of waste in a self-funded clean-up and that £2,000 of recently bought grass seed and fertiliser had been ruined.
- Travellers forced entry to a Norfolk youth football ground with an angle grinder.
- Twenty caravans occupied the site for two days before leaving.
- Club faced a costly, self-funded clean-up and ruined pitches.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Fury as travellers use angle grinder to break into youth football team ground and set up 20 caravans – leaving pitches covered in dirty nappies”.