COUNCILLORS in Stratton have told of their despair after a truck left huge tyre tracks on one of the parish’s football fields, rendering it almost unplayable.

It is the latest in a series of incidents that have seen drivers treating the Meadowcroft football pitches, owned by the Stratton St Margaret Parish Council and home to Stratton Juniors Football Club, as if they were roads, churning up the grass and posing a serious safety hazard to children.

But earlier this week, councillors and club bosses were shocked to discover a truck carrying a skip had got stuck on the field and had destroyed the grass.

Oliver Saunders, Stratton St Margaret Parish Council’s acting head of open spaces, described the incident as “the worst example so far” of the pitches being vandalised.

He said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the state of the pitch on Thursday morning.

“I don’t know how the truck driver managed to get out, but he must have been stuck there for a couple of hours.

“We are fully engaged with the police in trying to tackle this problem, but it seems to have been going on for a couple of years.

“We are trying to avoid putting up fences because they look unsightly and because it increases the amount of time it takes us to carry out grounds maintenance.”

Oliver estimated that the cost to repair the field could be in the region of between £500 and £1,000.

Despite the damage, the club is still hoping to play on the fields this weekend, though it’s difficult to see how a smooth game of football can go ahead.

A couple of weeks ago, Magnus Painter, chairman of Stratton Juniors Football Club, complained about cars leaving tyre tracks on the pitch and dog owners letting their pets foul on the grass.

That was followed by a heartless act of vandalism that saw the electrical point into which a life-saving defibrillator is plugged destroyed by yobs.

Magnus said: “I can’t believe people would do something like this, it’s a total lack of respect.”

A spokesman from Wiltshire Police confirmed they had received a call at 6.30pm on Wednesday, March 8, just after the truck was discovered. They did not attend the scene, but Swindon Borough Council was informed.

Police confirmed that there was no criminal damage element to the incident and, as a result, they will not be taking it any further.