'Council could have avoided Rec vandalism'

Nov 27 2009 By Mark Goode

The vandalised pavillion

Staines Albion, the youth football club whose pavillion was wrecked by vandals earlier this week, had been prevented from installing shutters by the council, it has emerged.

The club caters for 177 boys aged six to 16, but will be unable to play league games for the foreseeable future due to the £30-£40,000 worth of damage unleashed at the Long Lane Recreation Ground pavilion in Cordelia Gardens, Stanwell.

Earlier this year the club had approached Spelthorne Council and offered they take over the maintenance of the grounds, and to inject money into refurbishing the pavilion and placing shutters over the windows.

Albion under 10s manager Rob Wilks said of the negotiations: "It was going quite well until the council suddenly decided to change their minds, and we were given the option of leasing two pitches off them while they carried on with maintenance.

"The site has been vandalised before, but never as bad as this. If the council had let us take it over and pay for everything, we could have put up shutters and this could damage could have been averted."

Sharon Baker, club secretary, added if the council had let them use it as a home, they could have had more pitches for more games and sides.

She said: "I really don't understand why vandals do this. But we could have used the extra facilities to try and focus on the types of youths who commit these crimes and make the area nicer."

Police are tracing the vandals, who tore out radiators, ceilings, destroyed cabinets, broke sinks and baths, and flooded the interior on Saturday 21.

One of the 16 team's had to cancel a game to be played on the Sunday November 22, because league rules stipulate players must have a changing area.

A spokeswoman from Spelthorne Council said: "The council has worked to support Staines Albion last year to find pitches for the teams following their need to leave Staines and Laleham Football Club. Staines Albion has used Staines Park for a number of years under a local arrangement with the council.

"Two pitches along with the changing facilities were identified at Long Lane. Staines Albion did request the same arrangement that they had at Staines Park, eg. they would cut the grass, mark the lines and at Long Lane they would clean and maintain the changing rooms.

"As the council do not have any other clubs self-managing their facilities the Ccuncil offered Staines Albion the opportunity to hire the facilities."

The spokeswoman said it was the was the damage to the mains water and electricity supplies, which fed the changing rooms, were the reasons for closure, and said they are working hard to get the facility working again.