A football club wants to see an end to a “soul destroying” campaign of vandalism.

Groups of up to 40 young yobs have destroyed seats, damaged a stand and ridden motorbikes at Brymbo FC in recent months.

Club chairman Tony Birch said that problems at the ground – known as the Crick and located in the Brymbo Sports and Leisure Complex – had been ‘going on for a while’, but had escalated over the last six months to a year since the completion of a nearby housing estate.

He said: “They even surrounded the complex manager in his car in a threatening way last week, scaring him when he attempted to move them on because they are trespassing on private property.

“We have some of the best facilities in the area up at the Crick and we at Brymbo Football Club have a hard working committee, and this is soul destroying.”

He added: “It is happening more or less every night, but especially Fridays and Saturday nights.

“There can be as many as 20 to 40 youngsters accumulating in the stand up at the Crick, drinking and smoking, loads of them under age.

“And most of them aren’t local. They come from all around the area – Brynteg, Coedpoeth, Brymbo etc.

“The police are aware of the situation and they are trying to monitor it, but because of the ground being up above the car park the kids know the police have arrived and leg it before the police can catch them, and then when the police have gone they come back.

“There are even some lads who come up there on their motorbikes.

“They have set fire to some of the seats in the stand and kicked and torn other seats out.

“They have set fire to or damaged 22 out of 50 seats. They have also smashed a hole in the back of the stand.

“Not so long ago they smashed all the sponsors boards off from around the pitch so we, Brymbo Football Club, had to pay to replace those.

“They smoke and drink up there and then for some manic reason they smash their bottles on and around the pitch which is extremely dangerous.

“We have to try and make sure there is no glass on the pitch before each game.

“It doesn’t bare thinking about the consequences if we didn’t.”

Although the total cost of the damage is not yet known, Mr Birch said that it would run into ‘hundreds, if not thousands’ of pounds and added that as chairman of the club he would do everything he could to stop the incidents.

He added: “If any parents know that their children are going up there, stop them because if we find out who they are we will have them prosecuted for trespassing and for criminal damage.”

Anyone with information such incidents at the complex should contact North Wales Police on 101.