A CHILDREN'S football pitch which was targeted for the second time in five days by scrambler bike riders.

Moss Bank Junior Football Club volunteers had just repaired two of their pitches after they were torn up by bikers on Christmas Day only for the same to happen again on Sunday.

The club had been overwhelmed by the community response to the damage done on Christmas Day and volunteers and club members were hard at work on Friday, December 28 fixing the gouges, only for the vandals to return.

Graham McGreavy, who is chairman of neighbouring Heaton Sports Club, spotted the damage yesterday morning.

He said: "It's the same people who were there before, they've messed up the football pitches. They're ripping everything up ­— they're idiots."

Three days after bikes and quadbikes gouged deep trenches into the pitch, volunteers at Moss Bank Junior Football Club rallied to fix the two pitches which were damaged.

Gary Russell, chairman of the football club and Moss Banks Community Sports Club, said on Friday: “The pitches have been repaired to an extent by volunteers and club members and I think it’s fair to say we have had an overwhelming response from the local community, both on social media and through personal contact from the residents.

“We have been delighted with the response.”

Six motorbikes and two quadbikes were seen causing damage to the pitches off Captain’s Clough Road on Christmas Day.

Mr Russell said a number of names had been given to the club of people believed to be involved and these had been passed to Greater Manchester Police.

On Friday, December 28, the club’s volunteers and members were out laying new turf and smoothing out the gouges caused by bike tyres.

Mr Russell said thanks to club secretary Marcus Howarth and youth secretary Andrew Kearney. He said: “Both of them have been there the last 12 hours, making sure everything is being done, along with help from volunteers.”

He added: “We have had to invest in new turf and we can still make some of it good.”

Mr Russell said: “We have had the odd bits of damage on the pitches before. It’s a public thoroughfare so it’s bound to get some damage. But not on the scale of this.”

The repairs were well underway in the days after Christmas and all the damaged pitches were expected to be in a decent condition ahead of the club’s next fixture on January 5.

The club took responsibility for the pitches from the council almost two years ago.