LAUGHING joyriders are putting the lives of young rugby hopefuls at risk by careering across playing fields in Padgate, it is feared.

Teenager motorcyclists rode straight through a training session for Woolston Rovers under eights side at Bennett's Recreation ground in Station Road.

Luckily no one was hurt as a result of the incident - but Padgate Sports Association chairperson Chris Mawdsley fears it might only be a matter of time before someone is injured or even killed as a result of the reckless riding.

Chris said: "My priority has got to be the safety of the young players who use Bennett's Rec - the parents will not put up with this.

"All of the lads were training at the front of the clubhouse when they went through them at such speed. It is lucky no one was killed.

"But if you try to tell them off, they just laugh at you and ride off."

The association is now calling on council bosses and the police to team up and block off the motorcyclists' route to their pitches.

But the problem with the site appears to be that there are many different ways of gaining access to the pitches for the juvenile joyriders.

Dog walkers who allow their pets to foul the playing fields are also continuing to present a health hazard to the young starlets, ignoring previous pleas from coaches.

Ward councillor Mike Howard, also a member of Poulton-with-Fearnhead parish council which own the site, is backing tougher action on the teen terrors.

Police have told the parish council that they will be monitoring the situation, according to Clr Howard, who expressed concerns about players' safety.

"It has always been a problem there - I have taken a couple of complaints about it from residents about the noise alone this week," added Clr Howard.

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