'OUT of order' vandals have been 'smashing anything they can find' at Ledbury Football Club's ground. 

Workers got to the club's New Street ground on Tuesday morning (August 20) to find the temporary pitch barrier had been destroyed, rubbish had been thrown across the ground and a dead pigeon had been dumped in the stand. 

The club's chairman Pete Boyle told the Reporter this kind of behaviour has always happened, but over the last year, it has escalated to the point where the cost to repair damage had become unsustainable. 

So far, the costs have reached more than £1,000 to fix damage or replace equipment. 

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In recent months, Mr Boyle said he suspects a group of young people have tried to either start fires in the stand or were smoking there as he has noticed black char marks.

He said those responsible have also broken in and stolen alcohol, as well as ripping up sponsorship boards and causing damage to the tractor which as of yet, the club have not been able to fix. 

Mr Boyle said: "Whoever this is seems to be hell-bent on smashing things up, and this is getting worse, not better. 

"Anything they can get their hands on they will break or damage it.

"The dead pigeon was distressing, it seemed as though it had been beaten and was really in a bad way so it wasn't the best sight, which is why we haven't taken any close-up photographs.

"We haven't gone public in the past but we are a volunteer-run club on a tight budget and this behaviour is out of order."

Ledbury currently ply their trade at their New Street football ground but has plans to move soon. 

This means the club doesn't want to constantly have to pay to replace equipment as they feel they would waste money maintaining a ground it intends to soon leave. 

Mr Boyle added: "It gets to the point where you can't afford to fix it, this is an old ground that has been here since the 1870s and we want to leave soon, but at the same time we want people to enjoy coming here and not think its a complete mess.

"We would much rather use the money we have been spending on repairs paying bills and investing it into the club and team."

Mr Boyle intends to contact police and bring officers down to the ground.