BOWLING club members have been left fuming after their green was damaged by vandals who used it to play golf, football and cricket in broad daylight.

A group of teenagers aged 18 to 20 were spotted trespassing on the green at Clarence Park last Thursday between 7pm and 8pm.

They were seen climbing an 8ft fence which surrounds the green and forcing spikes together to make it easier to scale.

The green is now damaged with up to 30 deep divets and members of Clarence Park Veterans Bowling Club say the repair work is likely to be expensive.

Committee member Kevin Rudge said: “Clarence Park is supposed to be a flagship for Bury Council.

“They are spending £10,000 on a new hut and restaurant, but they can’t keep the place secure. This happened in broad daylight and they have caused a lot of damage. It is trespassing.

“The park is very well used but people don’t bother saying anything to these vandals because they get a load of abuse in return.

“I wish council security would be able to have a quick drive round during the daylight hours now the nights are getting longer — it would make all the difference.”

Three dog walkers reported the vandalism to Bury Council and one approached the group of young people directly, but was allegedly threatened.

Broken vodka and whisky bottles and beer cans were also left on and near the green.

A council spokesman said: “We deplore any incidents of vandalism in our parks. It’s always a small minority of people who have no respect for their neighbourhood or the people who live there and want to spend their leisure time in pleasant surroundings.

“In the case of Clarence Park, the bowling hut is being turned into a cafe for everyone to use, so there are people in the vicinity during the day.

“We also have gardeners in the park, who can also help keep a lookout. There is also a high metal fence all the way round the bowling green.

“It would seem that the vandals are scaling the fence late at night, when everyone has gone home, to cause the damage.

“We do not have the resources to provide 24/7 security measures at all public spaces in the borough.”

The public can report serious incidents to the police on 101 or to the council’s security team on 0161 253 6606. For less serious matters, call the council’s customer contact team on 0161 253 5353.