A council “must be held responsible” after race cars drove over a brand new football pitch costing thousands of pounds, an Irish League club has said.
Ballymena United said it was “saddened” at the incident during a stock car race at the Ballymena Showgrounds on Friday.
The venue is owned by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, which recently laid a new pitch after a major investment.
It said it was “deeply disappointed” by the incident.
The council spokesman said that “measures put in place to protect the new surface were inadequate” and that remedial work was being carried out on the pitch on Saturday.
The incident happened during a Ballymena Raceway stock car event on Friday night. The council leases the stadium to both the football club and Ballymena Raceway.
Ballymena United’s vice-chairman Don Stirling told BBC News NI that “stock cars have every right to be there” but the two sports are “just not compatible”.
“I honestly don’t know what the solution is, but the council have to be held responsible,” he said.
“They can’t keep cars off the pitch because if they veer off the track they have nowhere to go.
“They put down truck tyres (on Friday night) but they would have need massive tractor tyres to stop cars coming on the pitch.”
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