Nearly 200 of Chatteris Town’s young footballers may no longer be able to play their favourite sport after the club’s lawnmower – which cost thousands of pounds – was stolen last week.

Cambs Times: Chatteris Town Youth FCChatteris Town Youth FC (Image: Archant)

Dawn Webber, Chatteris Town Youth FC secretary, discovered the £3,000 item had been stolen on Friday.

“The beams had been moved in order to get it out of the ground and they seem to have broken the unit where it was being stored”, she said.

To make matters worse, the lawnmower was brought after several seasons of fundraising by the club’s children, who are aged between three and 15-years-old.

“It took the children two or three seasons to get all the money together,” Dawn said.

Cambs Times: The lock that was broken off.The lock that was broken off. (Image: Archant)

“The kids held a race night, raffles and several other events to raise the funds for the lawnmower.

“But now, thanks to some nasty person, we’re at the point where we have no methods of cutting the grass.

“We’re basically back at square one”, she added.

The theft, which may leave Chatteris’s football teams unable to play football for some time, has been reported to the police, who have sent out a forensics team to investigate the crime.

Cambs Times: The lock which was keeping the lawnmower safeThe lock which was keeping the lawnmower safe (Image: Archant)

Dawn said any help the club can get - donations or grass cutting - will really help the kids to continue playing football.