COACHES at the Clydebank Community Sports Hub have urged those who have been using the pitches during lockdown to treat the facility with respect, as scorch marks and empty aerosol cans were found in the locked up sports pitches.

Martin Waddell, coach of the youth rugby team ‘The Titans’, told the Post how he fully understands youngsters want to play on the state-of-the-art surface, but urged them not to vandalise the area.

He was made aware of the problem when a mother of one of his players sent him pictures of litter and empty aerosol cans which she and her son had collected from the field.

After inspection, he also noticed eight or nine scorch marks.

Holm Park in Yoker and refurbished pitches in Dalmuir have been victim to similar vandalism and wilful fire raising.

The facility, on Dean Street in Whitecrook, is shared by various sports teams including Drumchapel Amateurs, Clydebank Rugby Club and the Glasgow Gaels.

It was refurbished in 2018 at a cost of £3.8 million.

Martin said: “It’s a real shame, we have no issue and fully expect people to want to use the facility but we want them to show some respect.

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“When we have asked them to leave the pitches in the past so we can use them for training, some of the verbal abuse we receive would make your hair curl.

“The police haven’t got the resources to come and ask them to get a move on, and I’m sick of asking them.

“I also suspect it’s the same wee crowd who is causing the scorch marks and causing similar damage at other facilities in and around Clydebank.

“At the end of the day, I would rather the young lads using the pitch where playing a game of football than running around the streets, but if they would just treat it well then there wouldn’t be an issue.”

CCTV has already been installed in the car park and around the hub, but has yet to be installed in the pitches, though upgrading work is planned.

There were also reports from one of the young rugby players that he had seen a team of footballers training on the pitch, against lockdown rules.

Martin said when he attended to ask the men to leave, as it was during the lockdown period where outdoor team sports was prohibited, he too saw the level of training and skill the team had and suspects it was a group of pro-level older players.

The coaches at the club have asked that parents ‘have a word’ and urge them to use the pitches for training and sports only and to clean up any rubbish before they leave.