Dartmouth Rugby Football Club, which has been part of the local community since the late 1800s, has again been plagued by vandalism. They’ve been targeting a wooden structure built to protect supporters from the weather.

The club at Norton Field, next to Dartmouth Leisure centre and owned by South Hams Council, is very exposed to high winds and rain. Dartmouth Rugby club, out of their own funds and with the help of committee members, built a temporary green wooden structure to shelter home and away supporters from the elements during home games.

During the last six months vandals have slowly kicked in the wooden structure and even tried to set fire to it. The rugby club has had to remove the wood and replace it with corrugated sheeting in an effort to stop further vandalism. However, this has not stopped the vandals. Before a recent game with Totnes, committee members had to rake out the remains of a fire in a corner of the building which had been started using weed membrane to which wood and other objects had been added.

Lee Chase, member of the club’s committee, has put a lot of time and effort into rebuilding the structure He said: “The club is trying to create an area in a green space, where members of our community and visitors can safely play a sport, where it can be watched in a little bit of comfort. Yet locals keep abusing it.

“Dartmouth Rugby Club is not a rich club, and this idiotic vandalism by a few locals is hitting our pockets hard. We don’t know how long we can pay out money to repair the structure.

“In an ideal world, South Hams Council should fence off the area of Norton Field. The area is used by local dog walkers and residents just going for a stroll and I ask them on behalf of the club, if they see anything suspicious in the area of Norton Field, please take photographs on your mobile phones so that the persons responsible can be identified - or better still ring Devon & Cornwall Police on 101, as it is only a matter of time before further damage is caused."