All 18 golf course holes 'vandalised by e-bikes'

A group of e-bike riders have allegedly torn up all 18 holes at a community golf course, police have said.

Members and staff at Bootle Golf Course in Sefton in Merseyside said they were "devastated" to see the damage, reported to have happened on Monday.

A Merseyside Police spokesperson said they had received reports of a number of electric bikes being ridden across the greens at the golf course on Dunnings Bridge Road, Netherton.

One resident posting on the Crosby Bubble community Facebook page, said seeing the damage was "an unpleasant shock", adding that they were "lost for words to describe this mindless behaviour".

Another resident posting on the page said the club "will now have to fix the damage and review their security, no doubt at high cost to them", adding that those responsible "should have to pay".

Bootle Golf Club was opened in 1934 and is one of two municipal golf courses run by Sefton Council, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"It is concerning and disheartening to see a much-loved community facility damaged and vandalised to this degree by a few selfish individuals," a council spokesperson said.

They said the golf course "remains open and playable as council staff work tirelessly to rectify the damage", adding that repairs would "likely require a substantial amount of time and money, using resources that could have been better used elsewhere".

Merseyside Police are appealing for information.

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