Joyriders destroy pavilion

2:47pm Friday 5th January 2007

A thriving Cockfosters sports club, used by hundreds of sportsmen and women to play football and cricket, has been destroyed after vandals drove a stolen car into the clubhouse which then caught fire.

The Southgate Association in Chalk Lane, was targeted by hooligans on Thursday morning. They stole a car and then drove around the sports ground at high speed before crashing it into the front doors of the club, setting the building alight.

Four fire engines and 20 firefighters were called to the blaze, which broke out at around 6am. The fire was brought under control, but not before 50 per cent of the building had been destroyed and part of the grounds damaged.

The ground was used by a number of local clubs inclusing Chase Side Youth Football Club who had played there for the past six seasons.

Club secretary Benedict Burke said: "Clearly there are no facilities now, and youth football will be seriously affected. It's quite a significant amount of damage - in the region of £25,000 to £30,000.

"It's just reckless, brainless vandalism. It's a sad reflection of society that kids should do this. They probably thought it was fun.

"Meanwhile, 200 other kids are affected.

"It's going to take three or four months to get up and running, and we are probably going to miss the rest of the season."

Another club affected is Southgate Compton Cricket Club, which also uses the ground. Chairman Les Berry said: "This is an act of intolerable, mindless vandalism. The thought of the clubhouse, turned from an attractive, vibrant, sociable environment into a charred wreck in a few mindless moments is quite sickening."

Enfield Police are investigating the incident.

A spokesman said: "A vehicle had collided with the external wall of the club resulting in a fire starting which damaged half of the building. The vehicle was destroyed in the fire. The vehicle was unoccupied when the fire brigade arrived. Inquiries continue. At this stage, it would appear the vehicle destroyed in the blaze had been stolen."