A RUGBY club has been left with a bill of at least £2,000 after an arson attack at its ground.

The incident at the Abertillery Park home of Abertillery RFC is thought to have happened on Saturday June 13.

The stand’s cladding and drainage pipes have been burnt in an arson attack, residue from fires has been found throughout the ground, and some areas have been covered in graffiti.

There is also damage to several cables and glass from smashed bottles has been found strewn across the field itself.

“This has been an issue for a very long time on the weekends, where youths go down there to drink. The last year or two they have been lighting fires and smashing bottles,” said a club spokesman.

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The club has a rich history, with several stars including Rupert Moon, Shaun O’Connor and Allan Lewis having turned out for the club throughout their careers, and going on to play for Wales, Dragons and British and Irish Lions.

It is another blow to the club, which has been hit by a lack of financial income due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The costs are estimated to fully clean the area, jet washing and scrubbing where they had fires and where the graffiti is," said the spokesman.

"The cladding of the stand and the drainage has also all been burnt, and we need to re-paint.

"We need to do a full sweep of the field for any glass and the cabling has been damaged as well as the doors to the grandstand - and we will need to refill the concrete floors from the fires. £2,000 is on the low end of the pricing but we haven’t got the money to carry out the repairs.”