A DELIBERATE fire at a youth football club has caused £7,500 worth of damage.

Committee members at Corringham Athletic Youth Football Club were informed that the club’s portable toilet was set fire too, causing irreparable damage and damaging fencing, signage and a large area of grass at the club’s pitches on The Manorway.

The fire service was called to the blaze and a subsequent investigation established the cause of the fire to be arson.

The fire at the club, on June 10, came just a day after a large number of volunteers worked to tidy and clear the club’s ground after a successful season, which will be celebrated at a large, community presentation day in a week’s time.

Keith Wilson, chairman of Corringham Youth Athletic said: “Corringham Youth Athletic is a not-for-profit club, run by volunteers and funded solely by parents of youngsters in Thurrock who play for the club.

“Losing a portable toilet to fire and sustaining damage to fencing might seem trivial and menial, but for a club like ours, it’s significant when we’re doing all we can to provide facilities for kids, parents, club members and visiting teams with little resource or income. It was only recently that we were having to pick the toilet up after it had been pushed over during another act of vandalism.”

Ironically, a sign which states that trespassing is prohibited at the kids’ football club – a sign installed after the club’s pitches were damaged by motorbikes and quad-bikes in 2013 – was also burned in the blaze.

Keith added: “For the club to fall victim to this sort of mindless, selfish behaviour – and not for the first time – is devastating for us. Especially as so many people gave up their time the day before to help tidy the ground.

“It’s heartening to see, though, that several young members of the club have already started, off their own backs, in trying to raise funds for a replacement and members of the community have also offered support on Facebook. We have a good spirit and won’t let this sort of thing deter us from continuing with our aim to grow CAYFC and make it a fantastic community club for all.

“It is wrong, though, that a handful of inconsiderate individuals should be able to get away with damaging facilities put in place for the enjoyment and wellbeing of the whole community.

We urge anyone with information to pass it to the police - CRIME REF NUMBER: 42/81418/18 - to prevent other community clubs suffering similarly.”