FED up bowling club members are appealing to youths to stay away from their green after a spate of vandal attacks.

Teenagers have been scaling the six foot high fence which surrounds the Kearsley Park Vets Bowling Club in Thomas More Close and wreaking havoc.

In recent weeks members have arrived at the club to find the greens littered with as many as 50 empty alcohol bottles.

Club secretary Jack Wharton said: "Although there is a bin 10 yards away they are throwing them all over."

And on Thursday the frustrated players discovered groups of youths had been using the two greens as a football pitch, badly damaging their immaculate surfaces despite a purpose built five-a-side pitch neighbouring the club.

Mr Wharton added: "The turf had even been ripped up in places."

He added that emergency repairs have had to be made in time for a major competition at the club.

He said: "We will just have to bowl around the damaged areas."

Although the greens are owned by Bolton Council, club members have spent more than £6,500 of donated cash to improve the facilities and playing surfaces over the last two years.

Local people informed Mr Wharton that the youths were back damaging the green on Sunday but he said attempts to reason with the young people were not successful.

He said: “We were met by youths being cocky. They could not care less what they had done.”

A CCTV camera has been set up in an attempt to identify the vandals, but Mr Wharton says the club, which has 70 members, cannot get a speedy response to their calls for help from the council and police.

Kearsley councillor Liam Irving says he is aware of the problems at the bowling club and is liaising with the council and police in a bid to end the problems.

He said: "I know the police are doing all they can and it is very frustrating for people.

"I can't understand what makes someone want to damage the green."

Club members are planning to coat the fence with anti-vandal paint in a bid to deter the youths.

The incidents have been reported to police.