Vandals have caused hundreds of pounds of damage to Congresbury youth club as reports of anti-social behaviour in the village rocket.
Hooligans smashed the windows of the youth club at Kent Road earlier this month.
They also tried to force their way into the building, run by the Congresbury Youth Partnership, by picking the lock. Fortunately, the vandals were unable to get in.
But their wrecking spree at the youth club, which has been running in the village for 25 years, has left a repair bill of more than £1,000.
Youth worker Lucinda Thompson-Daw discovered the damage when she arrived at the youth club on Friday.
“Luckily we invested in some heavy-duty windows at the youth club,” she said.
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“So although they managed to smash the first pane of the glass, they didn’t get through the second. They also failed in their attempt to break open the front door.”
Lucinda estimates the cost of the damage will be in excess of £1,000.
“Although we will be able to claim on the insurance, that won’t cover the cost of the repairs so we will have to raise some money from other sources to cover it," she said.
The damage comes at the same time as a spike in anti-social behaviour across the village.
Bottles and glass have been found smashed across the slides and play equipment in the play parks, while signs along the river bank warning of the dangers of swimming in the weir have been uprooted and thrown in the water.
Fences have been ripped down and fires lit.
Local residents living near the youth club have also complained about having their cars ‘egged.’ It is believed the damage was done by local teenagers.
“It is so sad as most of the young people in the village are fantastic,” said Lucinda.
“But it is just a small minority that is ruining it for others. The really heartbreaking thing about it is those who are behaving in this manner may be children that have used the youth club themselves in the past.
“And they are impacting on the other young people who are using it now.”
The club is currently closed due to the Government lockdown. It normally holds an after school session and an evening sessions on Wednesdays.
A weekly Thursday session has been replaced with an online cooking class for local teenagers. The club is especially well used by primary aged children in the village.
Lucinda said repairs are now due to be carried out and the club plans to open for activities over the Easter holidays on April 13, 15 and 16 - all of which are already fully booked.
The club is run by Congresbury Youth Partnership which is funded by the parish council.
A spokesman for the CYP said: “We appreciate that everyone is feeling fed up with the present lockdown rules — but this sort of behaviour helps no one.
“The CYP has limited funds and money spent on repairs to the youth club impacts on the activities and experiences the CYP can provide in the community.”
Anyone with information about the incident at the youth club can contact police on 101 quoting crime reference 5221058869.
