Pitch for children with support needs has been vandalised

An Angus sports pitch for children with additional support needs has been vandalised within hours of being set up.

The news left organisers “disheartened”, among them PC Richard Heggie who coaches the youngsters through the Monifieth Athletic Soccer School.

There were no suitably enclosed areas on which to play, so Mr Heggie put up a fence at the town’s Riverview pitches.

A short time later, he returned to find the fence posts scattered around the pitch.

After reviewing CCTV in the area, it is thought a group of children had ripped the posts out of the ground.

Empty energy juice bottles and biscuit packs were also lying scattered around.

Mr Heggie said: “We had been looking to start a programme with the Angus Alive culture, sport and leisure trust for a group of kids with additional support needs.

“I work with Active Schools Dundee for children with additional support needs as well and because I live in Monifieth I wanted to bring it there too.

“Monifieth doesn’t have an enclosed space so I created a barrier on Tuesday last week at 1pm and by 6pm it had been knocked down by some kids.

“They’ve basically knocked them down and thrown them around.

“It’s disheartening, but we put them back and thankfully since then there hasn’t been any further problems.

“I think it may be because of a post on Facebook that said the pitch was for children with additional support needs.”

The sessions cost £2.60 and will run from 9.30am to 10.30am on July 21 and 26 and also on August 2 and 9.