Golf green destroyed by hooligan joyriders

Vandals have damaged a golf course in two nights of joyriding.

The fourth green at Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club was scarred by tyre marks after a car drove over the delicate surface on Saturday and Monday night.

It follows a spate of similar incidents caused by motorists breaking into the grounds and churning up the golf course, the most recent occurring last October when joyriders repeatedly mowed the course over a four-day period.

Club secretary David Homes (pictured) was shocked the criminals had returned after a calm period. "I have been working here for seven years and vandalism like this has happened on and off. The last time serious damage was done to the greens was last October, but we've had one or two cases where cars have driven on the fairways since then too," he said.

"It was only last week that I told a police officer that things had returned to normal - and now here we go again. "Why anybody would vandalise it in the first place is beyond me."

Discussing potential security precautions, Mr Homes said the size of the course, one of its best features, may prove to be an issue.

He added: "Because we have two courses spread over a vast area, we cannot install CCTV. We really don't think conservationists would approve of installing sensor-activated cameras either as it would scare off animals, like the deer in Ashdown Forest.

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