AN ASTROTURF pitch in Oakley has been burned by vandals.

Oakley Community Centre committee said on Facebook this week it was "in danger of losing business" if it couldn't provide a decent pitch to play on for paying customers.

Damage to the turf has been on the rise in recent weeks but it was hit badly over the weekend of April 24-25 with litter strewn across the site and patches of burned turf.

There has been a call for CCTV, which is being considered, but Treasurer Ann Farrell said that wouldn't resolve the issue.

"It's not a new problem," she said. "It's been going on for years.

"Every summer, there will be some damage to the asset. We've tried many different approaches, such as blocking it or leaving it open.

"Really, we want to get families talking about how it's a valuable resource for the community.

"We have been actively looking at getting CCTV but there are various things we need to do to pay for it.

"But, ultimately, anything that goes on CCTV are funds taken away to pay for other things."

The community paid for the astroturf in conjunction with Fife Council but end up spending money every summer on repairs when it inevitably gets destroyed.

"When they destroy the pitch, it means paying customers do not want to use it so our revenue goes down," Ann added.

"We could be using the money we make to maintain it and pay for a new one when it's needed but it instead goes on repairs.

"I would not want to get CCTV if we do not have to. I can see a lot of people have called for it but I don't know how much of an impact it will have.

"I really want to see people raising a bit of awareness and talking to their children because getting CCTV is not just going to see the problem solved."