Vandals cause ‘unprecedented’ damage to Ballymoney Showgrounds

Vandals have caused an ‘unprecedented’ amount of damage to the Ballymoney Showgrounds over the past few days.
Smashed windowsSmashed windows
Smashed windows

The Board of North Antrim Agricultural Association has said this evening that they are ‘extremely dismayed and disappointed’ at the latest incident which saw 14 panes of glass on the second floor of the pavilion smashed by stones and blocks thrown at them.

The vandals kicked and smashed spouting downpipes from the walls and a significant section of the perimeter wall has been battered and kicked until it has collapsed.

In a statement on its Facebook page the Association said the littering of the area in front of the dugouts with alcohol, cigarettes and rubbish is ‘nothing short of extraordinary’.

Rubbish left in the dugoutsRubbish left in the dugouts
Rubbish left in the dugouts

The Association said it had dealt with similar incidents in the past and generally turned a blind eye to it.

The statement continues: “I think we can all agree from the photos included that the level of vandalism and pure destruction cannot be tolerated.

“As a board we generally have allowed local residents to walk dogs in the grounds and have had no issue with this but this level of damage now leaves us with little option but to consider full and complete closure of the grounds to anyone.

“The police have been informed and they are actively seeking information on those responsible so please can you all share this post or contact the Crimestoppers number directly and we can attempt as the community of Ballymoney to at least warn those responsible that this is not acceptable.

Vandals have caused a large amount of damage to the showgroundsVandals have caused a large amount of damage to the showgrounds
Vandals have caused a large amount of damage to the showgrounds

“The Ballymoney Show which is ran on the first weekend of June each year is the principal objective of our association and in running such a significant event, we operate on a tight budget and duly such considerable damage as this bears a cost which the association does not need.

“So please again, share this post and let’s attempt to prevent this from happening again and encourage some respect for an important community facility,” the post concluded.

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