Bikers cause 'disgraceful' damage to golf course

Damage caused by a group of people on motorbikes to a golf course in West Yorkshire has been described by a councillor as a "disgraceful and deliberate act of vandalism".

Large areas of City of Wakefield Golf Club, off Horbury Road, were vandalised, with its fifth and sixth greens most affected, according to the council, which runs the site.

The course had since reopened after the greens were repaired, although areas of it were still difficult to putt on, a Wakefield Council spokesperson said.

Councillor Lukasz Borcz, cabinet member for culture and sport, said: "This has caused significant damage to the golf course and a totally avoidable disruption for local golfers."

The council has since appealed for further information about those behind the vandalism.

The damage caused to the site in Wakefield is just the latest vandalism on golf courses in Yorkshire.

Earlier this month, Concord Park Golf Club in Sheffield saw repeated damage caused by people using off-road bikes and e-bikes.

Owners of the golf course, in the Shiregreen area of the city, said bikes were used to perform wheel spins and doughnuts on the fairways.

At the time, owner Warren Allcroft said due to public rights of way, it was impossible to completely prevent bikers getting onto the course.

Allcroft said: "You could cry. You come in the morning expecting to just rake the bunkers, cut the greens.

"Then you see the damage that's done by these bikes. It takes hours, days, weeks to get it back to its original state."

Allcroft said the cost to repair the damage was more than just money.

"It's not just the repair costs - that's thousands - but a golfer comes and see the damage and decides they're not coming back here," he said.

"It's on social media. People see there's damage, so they don't even come."

Meanwhile, staff at another golf course in West Yorkshire, who did not want the site to be identified, said it had been targeted by vandals more than 20 times in the last two years and six reports had been made to the police.

Staff at a third club, also in West Yorkshire, said earlier this year that motorbike and e-bike vandalism was a "daily occurrence".

Under the Policing and Crime Act 2026, police forces were given new powers to seize vehicles used anti-socially without the need to issue a warning first.

City of Wakefield Golf Club has been approached for comment.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.