Vandals drag memorial benches out of cricket club container and set fire to them

The 'heinous' break-in happened on Monday night at Atherton Cricket Club in Eckersley Fold Lane.

The yobs forced the lock of a container off and removed around 20 memorial benches before they were set alight on Howe Bridge Leisure Centre's overflow car park, the club say..

It come just two days after neighbouring Atherton Town FC reported that its changing rooms had been damaged after the shutter had been taken off its runners.

The cricket club have set up a fundraising page following the vandalism, which has already raised almost £3,000. They estimate it could cost around £6,000 to replace the benches.

Ian Nuttall, who has organised the fundraiser on behalf of the cricket club, said: "Atherton Cricket Club recently found themselves the victims of a heinous crime, where all the decorative benches bought in memory of a lost loved one have been stolen from one of their storage containers and burned in a bonfire on the car park.

"The cricket club is an entirely volunteer led organisation, providing not just cricket but a community hub for everyone to enjoy. Its volunteers and members work tirelessly to maintain, improve and develop their facilities for the benefit of all.

"This crime has made an already difficult 12 months a whole lot worse as they now face the cost of replacing circa 20 benches at approximately £300 each.

He added: "The support given to the club in the immediate days after the crime has been fantastic from the community, cricket family and wider - if you can spare any money please consider supporting this fundraiser to ensure memory of the loved ones continues at the cricket club."

To donate money search for 'Memorial Bench Fundraiser' on GoFundMe.