A youth football club suffered thousands of pounds worth of damage after a 'shameful' burglary. The break-in took place at the Gedling FC clubhouse, in Stoke Lane, Stoke Bardolph, overnight on Saturday, October 8.
Police found the front door had been taken off, taps in both bathrooms had been stolen and portions of pipes were ripped out. Some of the ceiling was also removed and copper pipes taken from the loft.
Club secretary Jon Morris has said that everybody connected to the club is "heartbroken" following the break-in. He stated that the damage done to the volunteer-run club will cost them more than value of the things that were taken.
He said: "So myself and one of the other coaches arrived to open up and it was the other coach who found the clubhouse and the door had been removed. They forced their way into taking off one of the top brackets and then unscrewed the others and then just left the door at the side.
"There was water everywhere, there was debris from getting into the roof and water spraying out of the toilets where they've removed all the taps and the pipes and stuff. We've just renovated the clubhouse and put in a new tuck shop.
"Honestly we're all just gutted. The damage that they've caused will be so much more than the value of the stuff they've taken.
"It's just completely mindless that they'd do it. We're a volunteer-ran place. There are no men's teams it's just teams and we're just gutted that someone would do it to us.
"We've got about 150 kids all under the age of 16, just started a girls section up. We're funded by parents' monthly subs and some other sponsors, but we're all just volunteers - it's heartbreaking.
"We're so grateful for everyone's support though. We've had an offer from a plasterer to come and fix the roof and an offer from a plumber to come and fix the pipes.
"One of the parents set up a GOFundMe which will help us cover the costs of a new door and locks that had been broken and pipes that need replacing. We're really really grateful for that."
Nottinghamshire Police have launched an investigation into the incident. Officers said it's believed to have caused thousands of pounds of damage.
Police Constable Lyndon Brown, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry to trace those responsible for this despicable crime which has caused great upset to the club and the wider community.
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“To target a facility used for the benefit and enjoyment of young people is shameful and I’d like to reassure people that we are doing everything we can to identify and locate the culprits who will be robustly dealt with.
“As part of our inquiries we would urge anyone who saw what happened, anyone who may have captured CCTV or dash-cam footage or anyone who has any other information that could help with our investigation to contact the police.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident 188 of October 9 2022, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Young people can also pass on information about crime completely anonymously, using a secure online form, through the youth service Fearless - which is a part of Crimestoppers.
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