Thieves steal football pitch in Brighton

7:00am Saturday 11th August 2012 in News By Ben Parsons, Crime Reporter

Brazen thieves stole a £20,000 mobile football pitch from a community group.

The criminals removed a wheel lock to tow away a trailer containing Brighton and Hove's Soccerena from Woodingdean Youth Centre on Wednesday morning.

Up to 60 youths a week use the equipment at football sessions in Central Park, Woodingdean.

At least one person at the centre saw men arrive, attach the trailer to a small white van with a towbar and drive off.

Councillor Dee Simson , who represents the area on Brighton and Hove City Council , said: “It'll mean the project is finished.

“We are gutted. I can't believe somebody would do that.

“It beggars belief that someone could do that in broad daylight.”

She said she does not believe the thieves knew what was inside the white trailer when they took it.

The Soccerena is made up of graffitied wooden boards and metal poles.

When assembled they form a pitch 18 metres by 12 metres, for five-a-side, basketball, cricket, netball, tennis and badminton.

Brighton and Hove City Council acquired the pitch in 2008 and used it for sports sessions at areas where antisocial behaviour had been reported.

Since Woodingdean Youth Centre took it over, youth workers have run their My Bus at the same time as football sessions, to provide outreach support for young people.

Coun Simson said she believed the thieves would not know what the equipment was even once they looked at the trailer's con¬tents, and urged them to return it.

She said: “I think they are going to scrap the metal and burn the wood.

“We'd ask them to return it. If we could just get the Soccerena back we could carry on with the project.

“We'd ask scrap dealers to be on the lookout, too.”

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call Sussex Police on 101.

Comments(15)

earloflucan says...
7:14am Sat 11 Aug 12

Hmmmm! let me think now who could of done this
Clues, Small white van + tow-bar, travellers parked nearby
nope I give up!

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fatso says...
7:52am Sat 11 Aug 12

Should you be saying that out loud???

Maybe it is at Brapool now that thye have taken over that park.

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Dealing with idiots says...
8:18am Sat 11 Aug 12

Watch the opportunity to comment on this story vanish when the censorship gnomes at the Argus see what has been written.

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NickBrt says...
9:14am Sat 11 Aug 12

You're not allowed to comment on 'certain groups of people' because censorship exists. You can comment about anyone and everyone else but not those lovely people who care so much for the environment, get on with other communities, never make a mess, use energy saving vehicles and more importantly have gained the love respect and admiration of the green council and MP. Here endeth the lesson.

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cgphvn says...
10:44am Sat 11 Aug 12

I WAS COMING BACK FROM WORTHING WEDS AM AND SATW THE TRAILER COMING UP THE HILL BY DOWNS HOTEL HEADING OUT OF BRIGHTON, IT WAS BEING PULLED BY A BLACK 4X4 RANGE ROVER/WARRIOR ETC...I NO THE TRAILER VERY WELL AS THE BODYSHOP WHERE I WORKED LACQUERED OVER THE GRAFITTI

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george smith says...
11:22am Sat 11 Aug 12

NickBrt wrote:
You're not allowed to comment on 'certain groups of people' because censorship exists. You can comment about anyone and everyone else but not those lovely people who care so much for the environment, get on with other communities, never make a mess, use energy saving vehicles and more importantly have gained the love respect and admiration of the green council and MP. Here endeth the lesson.
Brighton LA seem to have made the argus ban comments on travellers, however does the Brighton ban extend to West and East Sussex?

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Indigatio says...
11:55am Sat 11 Aug 12

I drove past Braypool last night and there must be 50 plus caravans in there. Its disgusting that BHCC allow them to get away with it. West Sussex/Worthing/Adur have taken a hard line recently and they have no all moved back to B&H where they know they are treated with 'care & consideration'.

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Indigatio says...
11:56am Sat 11 Aug 12

AND of course, all these comments will be removed shortly as we are not allowed to make comments about this particular section of society.

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Vigilia says...
2:32pm Sat 11 Aug 12

Whilst I have some sympathy with much of the frustration expressed in some of these comments, there would appear to be an alarming degree of unsubstantiated speculation about the culprits that would warrant Jo Wadsworth removing them on Monday.
Was it a small white van seen by the eyewitness or the black 4x4 seen by cgphvn? Perhaps it would be better to let the police and not the Argus know these facts.

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Helena Handcart says...
5:07pm Sat 11 Aug 12

Please do not use Argus and facts in the same sentence. If the travellers did it, we will not he allowed to comment anyway, plus the chances of Susses Plod solving this are....32 percent if there crime solving figures re accurate

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SicklySeagull says...
7:15pm Sat 11 Aug 12

Vigilla these problems occur every year locals know the next area the travellers will descend on however the Council are taken by surprise with other areas taking action Brighton are going to have even more of these folk.

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Helena Handcart says...
10:38pm Sat 11 Aug 12

Unfortunately ....The Travellers are here to stay, until they go back for another big fat wedding, paid for by the people of Sussex.

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sdhgfhfuyt says...
12:09pm Mon 13 Aug 12

Helena Handcart wrote:
Unfortunately ....The Travellers are here to stay, until they go back for another big fat wedding, paid for by the people of Sussex.
They were all drinking in Lewes road establishments the other week, dripping in Elizabeth Duke listening to dirty old town on repeat...i'm sick of it, every year the same thing

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toldsloth says...
1:19pm Mon 13 Aug 12

A bunch of travellers pitched up in Preston Park the other week. I woke up to find a couple of horses grazing in the park!!

Seriously, I was on a bus yesterday with a gand of the kids - probably 13 to 14 and they were loud and onoxious. Some poor guy sitting next to one had to almost challenge one of the little scroats before they would allow him off the bus. Horrible little urchins but no worse than most of the kids from Patcham.........

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willy harris says...
1:25pm Mon 13 Aug 12

I ALLWAYS THOUGHT THAT A SOCCERENA WAS A SPANISH DANCE~?

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