THE man in charge of a borough's playing fields is fed up with vandals who keep using his best football pitches as a motorcar rally circuit.

Graham Harris, outdoor bookings manager at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, was speaking after damage estimated at hundreds of pounds of damage was caused on Tuesday when someone drove a four-wheel-drive car on one of the football pitches at Pleasington playing fields.

The pitch is now out of action for several weeks while groundsmen battle to get it playable again.

The incident came after the Christmas period in which quad bikers churned up many of the other 11 pitches at the site.

Mr Harris said Pleasington playing fields were the best of the council's 50 pitches and supported 96 teams, or 1,248 players, every week.

He called for those responsible to stop before the many football leagues that rely on Pleasington's pitches each weekend are damaged.

"We've had a problem with quad bikes and this has now made everything worse," he said.

"This latest incident is the final straw. I don't think the quad bikers realised the damage they caused, but this driver knew what he was doing and has decided to trash the place for his own pleasure.

"It seems like it was malicious. This is a major concern to us because of the amount of teams which use the pitches.

"We have a shortage of pitches and these are the best and best-used pitches in the borough and to lose any more would really be a major concern to our football teams."

He added: "I would urge whoever is responsible to stop doing this and take their vehicles elsewhere."

Mr Harris warned that the council would prosecute anyone who was caught ruining the pitches.