A GOLF club has sought police support to tackle a ‘plague’ of motorbike-riding yobs.
Silkstone Golf Club president Phil Parkin said dealing with the damage - costing thousands of pounds to repair - has been an unwelcome return after a difficult year which saw the course shut for months before finally opening this March.
Upon the first lockdown, the club saw an opportunity to leave the 6,363-yard course open for local walkers to get their daily fresh air and exercise.
Phil said vandals striking twice in the last three weeks ‘feels like a bit of kickback’.
“They all go around the perimeters of the course, but every now and then they must have a bright idea to cause a bit of mayhem,” he said.
“They’ve actually done it while members are playing golf.
“We had a lot of walkers during lockdown, and we encouraged that - it’s a beautiful part of the world.
“These lads aren’t bothered, they’re out on a jolly then they see a gateway and think they’ll have a bit of fun on the course.
“But it’s not fun.
“It’s not only the inconvenience, it’s that members are paying a lot of money to not play golf while we’re doing repairs.”
Police are investigating to find the people responsible after the most recent incident at around 6pm last Thursday - and advised anybody with information to contact 101 or the local policing team.
Sergeant James Shirley added: "We know how frustrating it can be when nuisance bikes cause damage like this.
“We have a dedicated off road bike team that regularly conduct operations to target people riding bikes in this manner.
“I would encourage people to continue to report incidents like this, so we can make sure the off-road bike team is utilised in any areas of concern."
