A cricket pitch roller pushed down a hill by a group of young people caused more than £200 damage to a local man's car.

Robert Binns of Sykes Lane, Oakworth, watched in horror as a gang of young people sent the heavy concrete roller hurtling down the hill towards his car.

As he stood there helpless, the roller smashed through a stone wall and hit the underside of his prized P reg Vauxhall Frontera, causing an estimated £200 worth of damage.

The roller - which Mr Binns estimates is over a tonne in weight - belongs to Cross Roads Cricket Club.

The club leases one of the playing fields on Goose Cote Lane from Bront' Middle School.

According to Mr Binns, it is the second time the roller has been pushed down the hill by a group of youngsters, and he is concerned that next time someone could get hurt by the dangerous prank.

He says: "The first time it happened was just before Christmas last year, and that time it hit a telegraph poll and put all our phone lines out for two days.

"It's a very heavy roller and it concerns me that young people have access to it, because next time someone could get seriously hurt."

Cricket club treasurer Michael Bottomley says members sympathise with Mr Binns' plight, as they have to constantly repair vandalised property.

He says: "In the last two weeks we have had the roof and the door of the pavilion broken, and people playing on the cricket square, so we are just sick of it."

Club members have chained the roller to a perimeter fence next to Goose Cote Lane, in the hope of stopping the roller from being misused again.

The roller is used by the cricket club and is usually left in the top playing field.

Police are investigating the latest incident.

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