Saddlers take action to beat vandals

Walsall Football Club, who moved to Banks's Stadium at Bescot Crescent in 1990, have had a planning application granted by officers from Walsall Council that will see a new driveway created for members of the social club to gain access in the evenings.

At present, the club has had to leave its main car park open so members can get access, which club officials say has led to problems.

The club say that it has trouble 'every evening' with trespassers who leave litter on the site and have raised concerns from nearby residents.

Travellers set up camp on the public car park three times last year, forcing the club to pay a private security firm to move them on.

Some regulars at the Banks's Stadium were forced to park away from their usual spaces on the occasions they did pitch up there.

Club director Daniel Mole said: "In 2016, we had travellers on the site on three separate occasions and as the land is private property, we had to pay a private security firm to move them from our property.

"Every evening, trespassers loiter and litter the site and we have received numerous complaints from neighbouring residents whose property has been damaged, along with our own, by local youths entering the site and breaking windows or throwing eggs at windows.

"At the moment we have our access open at all hours, which is not safe for us, but has to be done in order to allow people to access the Saddlers Club.

"This is news that will lead to a change in that and we hope that this will lead to less vandalism on our site."

Plans submitted in October 2016 have been granted by council officers, however the current plan is different from that which was originally presented.

The original plans stated that the club wanted to build a fence around the entire parameter, however Mr Mole said that introducing the new access driveway was the easiest and most effective way of dealing with the problem.

The Saddlers Club was originally opened as a social club in 1966 and was originally based in Wallows Lane.

It moved to its current location in 1991 and is adjacent to the Walsall Football Club Bank's Stadium.

During the football season home and away fans use the club.