A group of youths set light to three rows of plastic seats at Witham Football Club.

Football club members, who were opening up the bar for last night's game against Ashford, discovered the youths at about 6.30pm setting light to the seats at the far end of the Spa Road ground.

Club chairman David Knott called it the worst case of vandalism ever to have taken place at the ground.

He said: "Luckily we had a game that night and as soon they were spotted they made off."

Mr Knott said the group had poured some kind of fluid on three rows of seats and then set light to them.

He added: "We have so much vandalism up here and it is worse when they are off school. This is the worst incident we have had so far and it will cost us hundreds of pounds to replace the seats."

Mr Knott said the fire would not mean the cancellation of any matches.

Fire crews were not called and staff put out the flames with buckets of water.

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