Bury FC’s iconic Gigg Lane stadium has been vandalised AGAIN with a group of schoolchildren thought to be behind almost £1,000 worth of damage.
Earlier this month, vandals smashed panels and damaged parts of the stadium. At the time, it was reported that the offenders had left behind evidence with their names on, which included details suggesting they were schoolchildren.
In a separate event on Monday (April 25), directors at the club reported further vandalism. In a Facebook post, the club posted: “Our CCTV footage has picked up some uninvited visitors to the stadium. We have sent pictures to GMP of their faces but if you (or your children) know the names of the 3 youths please contact us.
“They have smashed the toilets and concrete panels within the stadium on their visit”. Alongside the post was a TikTok clip of a young man kicking a ball into a goal before sliding on the pitch in victory.
Speaking to the M.E.N, Daniel Bowerbank, Director Of Operations at Gigg Lane, said: “They broke into the stadium on Monday evening from the nearby woods. We’ve got the name of the guy in the video, the name of the school he goes to and the police are currently dealing with it in regards to criminal damage.
“They completely smashed three pot sinks to pieces using the stand for the security fencing. They’ve also broken a full toilet system, and caused damage to the pitch by knee slipping on it.”
Daniel said the stadium was victim to another incident on Wednesday evening (April 27) where two concrete panels in the stadium were smashed up. “It’s looking like it’s going to be close to £900 worth of damage overall off the top of my head,” he said.
“It’s definitely not cheap for us, especially when we’re just getting back to the stadium and trying to put things right. I’ve had to spend all day on the phone to the police and sorting things instead of being able to celebrate getting things back on track.
“It’s something we shouldn’t have to do but it’s sadly becoming a common theme. I’ve been involved in football for ten years and there’s definitely trends where kids go through spates of this kind of vandalism. We’re just set on making sure they can’t do it anymore.”
On Sunday, Gigg Lane opened for the first time in three years with a game between Bury FC Foundation Women's Team and the Fleetwood Town Wrens. Bury FC were kicked out of the Football League in 2019 and then subsequently fell into administration. Two supporters groups, Forever Bury and Est. 1885, later successfully lodged a bid to acquire the iconic stadium, club name and memorabilia.
“This weekend was absolutely amazing,” Daniel exclaims. “It was our first weekend back under the new ownership and it was just great. We had 499 people, we had a great atmosphere and the girls won - it was just an unbelievable day for us.
“We had people crying, people buzzing, and we got to see people that we haven’t seen for three years. It was such a brilliant vibe, the community came together for an amazing day and we’re so happy to be back. This won’t deter us.”
The M.E.N has approached Greater Manchester Police for more information.
