FOR the third time in a week Tamworth Regional Council has been left to clean up after vandalism at one of its sporting grounds.
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The latest victim was a soccer pitch at the Gipps Street playing fields, which vandals damaged by driving on.
The council's manger of sport and recreation Paul Kelly estimated the damage bill would be "in the thousands".
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"It is incredibly disappointing and frustrating for the community and the council," Mr Kelly said.
"We have been very fortunate over the past couple of months where the fields have had a very good break, which has enabled us to get some really good coverage over our fields.
"It is really disappointing when we get silly acts of vandalism that undo a lot of that good work."
Police are investigating the incident, which is believed to have occurred on Tuesday night. "Unfortunately this is the third time in just over a week that we've had vehicles enter our fields and this is probably the worst case," Mr Kelly said.
"In all three situations we've used our network of CCTV cameras, handed the footage over to the authorities and it's now with them to investigate.
"We've got cameras right here, so we have got some very good footage of the perpetrators, which we have handed over to the authorities and we will let them do their job."
The fields were set to welcome back players for a return to Northern Inland Football competitions on July 4, but Mr Kelly said he was unsure if the field would be fit for play.
"Our sports team will have to undertake a fair bit of extra work here," he said.
"We will roll, mow and level the field as best we can to try and make it safe, but the most disappointing thing is these fields just won't get grass growth until we come into a warmer climate, which is several months away.
"It won't be an easy fix and it is really disappointing."
Anyone with information is urged to contact Tamworth police.