ANGRY residents and councillors have condemned "mindless vandalism" after a Bradford park was left churned up by vehicle tracks.

Large areas of Peel Park were damaged by one or more vehicles being illegally raced over large areas of grassland over the weekend.

People who went to the park today to enjoy sledging after Saturday night's snowfall were among those to condemn the vandalism.

Paul Gray, 38, who was at the park with his wife Ruth, 37, and son Noah, five, said it had ruined areas of the park.

Mr Gray, of Dudley Hill Road, Eccleshill, said: "The turf has been wrecked where they have been. It's been churned up. It's vandalism.

"It looks like a 4x4 has done it rather than a quad bike. The markings left are too wide for a quad bike.

"It is stopping people from having fun and sledging in certain parts too."

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said: "It's a disgrace.

"When all of the snow goes we will see how bad it is.

"There are plenty of other places they could drive around on. This is a park."

Councillor Rachel Sunderland (Lib Dem, Bolton and Undercliffe) said she would be reporting the incident to the parks and landscapes department at Bradford Council.

She said security fencing to keep out vehicles from the park might also need to be looked at.

Cllr Sunderland said: "It's incredibly frustrating as the park was spot-on on Friday. It was really well maintained.

"Somebody has come on and damaged a community resource.

"It's vandalism and denies everybody else the ability to enjoy the park. We don't have many green spaces in Bradford as it is.

"This is a real shame and I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed.

"This is an issue we have had previously.

"I will be reporting it to the council. There is a knee-high fence around the park. They must have knocked into it to get through.

"We need to look into getting something more robust up to protect this portion of the park. I will be speaking to the council and local residents about this."

Councillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for environment, sport and sustainability, was unavailable for comment.