BOWLERS in Bradford have been left reeling after vandals broke into their clubhouse and caused mayhem just weeks after the premises were hit by an arson attack.

But despite the setback, the club's 40 strong membership say they are determined not to be beaten by the troublemakers.

The Bowling Park Bowls Club has a clubhouse in the park which is owned by Bradford Council and it was damaged by arsonists several weeks ago.

As a result a temporary door was fitted, secured by two padlocks and club member Alice Murtagh said they were told it would be replaced by a permanent new door within a week.

However, that did not happen and overnight from Tuesday, offenders cut through padlock fixings to get into the clubhouse where they were able to wreak havoc.

Bottles were thrown out onto the bowling greens and fixtures and fittings inside the clubhouse smashed and thrown around.

Mrs Murtagh, a member for 25 years, said: "The council put on a door which was supposed to be temporary and I was assured the damage would be put right the following week but the new door has not been put on.

"When the temporary door went on, I said it would not last," she said.

Vandalism appears to have been the motive for the break-in, which was discovered around lunchtime in Wednesday when members turned up at the building.

They found bottles and mops had been thrown out onto the greens, fire extinguishers dumped on paths outside and pots smashed inside, with items like tea bags strewn around.

Fortunately, only one trophy had been taken from the club's cabinet, with the others left untouched.

"The club has been here for more than 100 years and we have about 40 members. It is really sad, even for the new members, but it affects us more who have been here a long time," she said.

"We will continue and not let people trample us down," she said.

The club has been plagued with problems in recent years, with slates torn from the clubhouse roof, vehicles burned out and the greens damaged.

Members have always fought back from the damage, however, and Mrs Murtagh said they would so again.

The arson attack had caused mainly smoke damage to the interior of the building and they were already preparing to redecorate when criminals struck again.

A spokesman for Bradford Council said: "We are working with the members of the bowling club to try and secure the premises as soon as possible.

"We would urge anyone with any information about these break-ins and vandal attacks to contact to the police as soon as possible so that these nasty criminals can be caught and prosecuted."