Vandals who destroyed playing pitches overnight in west Dublin have been slammed for their "shameful and unacceptable behaviour".
Images emerged this morning of the pitches on Benmadigan Road in Drimnagh which had been badly damaged by what appear to be tyre tracks from a scrambler or quad bike.
Local Councillor Daithi Doolan shared pictures of the damage on social media this morning and took aim at parents who buy motorised bikes for young children.
He wrote: "Local pitches destroyed by scramblers. Shameful & unacceptable behaviour.
"Parents need to think why do they buy these for our young people. They are destructive & very dangerous."
Shocking footage emerged yesterday of a young child being knocked off a mini scrambler after hitting a pole just seconds after getting on the bike.
An incredible video shows the boy, who has a pacifier in his mouth, being helped onto the bike by an adult before taking off.
The kid then accelerates straight into a pole and falls off.
He can be seen getting back up almost straight away before the video cuts out.
Gardai had appealed to parents before Christmas to reconsider plans to buy scramblers or quads for children.
It follows a number of deaths and serious injuries in recent years involving the vehicles on public roads and spaces.
Chief Superintendent Paul Cleary of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau said: "Members of An Garda Síochána do not want to be delivering devastating news to another family this Christmas so our message is clear; children and young teenagers should not be driving these vehicles in public, or without the necessary licence, insurance, safety equipment and supervision."
