Two teenagers have been charged after a north-east football ground was vandalised.
Colony Park in Inverurie, home to one of the region’s biggest youth football clubs, was targeted over the weekend.
Advertising boards around the pitches were destroyed, concrete blocks and steps damaged and glass shattered.
The broken glass was scattered around the Harlaw Road grounds, prompting concerned club members to put up signs advising dog walkers to stay away or keep their pets on leads incase they get injured.
Now police have confirmed two teens, aged 14 and 17, have been charged in connection with the incident.
A fundraiser has now been launched by Colony Park FC to get the grounds back into a “safe and usable condition”.
A police spokesman said: “On Sunday, April 10, officers were made aware of vandalism having occurred at a football club in Inverurie on the evening of Saturday, April 9.
“Two males, aged 17 and 14, have been charged in connection with the vandalism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.”
Vandals struck before dark
Club chairman Roger Langtree estimates it will cost thousands to repair the damage, adding it was an expense they could “well do without”.
A fundraiser has now been launched to cover the costs, with a initial target of £2,000 set.
Groundsman Sandy Robertson said there has long been a problem with vandals at the park, but said the latest incident was at a “totally different level”.
“The amount of broken glass around the park is like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” he said.
Colony Park FCÂ runs as a charity, and aims to make football accessible and affordable to all young people with an interest.