Unruly youths slammed for littering bowling green with glass

THE anti-social behaviour of a group of youths who showered a bowling green with glass has been condemned by a club member.

Rita Vaughan says she is “absolutely disgusted” by the thoughtless action of the irresponsible youngsters who have plagued Friezland Bowling Club in Greenfield for the past 12 months.

During lockdown the teenagers, who brazenly rode bikes across the greens, had to be asked to leave the grounds of the private club.

In this latest act of vandalism, the patio area of the club was littered with rubbish including plastic and broken glass bottles. Some of the glass was strewn across the pristine turf.

“Myself and another member, David Hulme, are both members play as part of teams in various Tameside and Oldham Leagues,” said Rita.

“The whole of the 2020 crown green bowling season was cancelled due to Covid restrictions but social games have just been permitted to recommence.

“After a winter of being socially isolated indoors we were extremely pleased to get out into the glorious sunshine and, along with two other couples, enjoyed our first games on the green.

“Imagine to our horror when we returned to the club next morning and found that some youths had been drinking alcohol and had left all of their debris behind.

“I am absolutely disgusted by these youths. There were empty cans, broken glass bottles, and plastic waste on the patio area, and the green was littered with broken glass, chewing gum, and bits of a broken bench.

“This is obviously the work of underage teenagers; adults would not do this.”

• In separate acts of vandalism, offenders removed and then attempted to set fire to a blue household waste bin on the Pennine bridleway in Greenfield.

Locals report hearing loud explosions as the culprits tried to ignite the bin with aerosol cans.

Irresponsible teenagers have been condemned also for anti-social behaviour, including late night rowdiness in Greenfield park. Disgusted parents and grandparents had to clear broken beer bottles from the popular play area before allowing children to access the equipment.