THIEVES have targeted footballers in a spate of thefts from local changing rooms while the players are on the pitch.

Plymyard football pavilion, in Bromborough, has been plagued by thieves who have regularly raided the council run changing rooms for players' possessions.

After a Hoolihan and Birkenhead Sunday league fixture Bidston Hill FC returned to their changing room to discover that keys, mobile phones, trainers, and clothes had been taken while they played.

Steve Graham, Bidston Hill FC's club captain, said: "All we could do is call the police and give a statement. It has happened quite a few times over the last couple of months. The council need to have some good prevention so it doesn't happen again."

Some 300 to 400 people pass through the changing rooms on Sunday mornings, making it difficult to secure the building, and the council is appealing to players to help them stop the thefts.

A spokesman for education and cultural services said: "There has been a spate of thefts from the Plymyard football pavilion and as a consequence we have put several preventative measures in place."

The council has asked spectators to use the outside toilet facilities during matches and told players that all valuables should not be left in the pavilion. The doors of the changing rooms are locked when players are not changing and only one external door is open. The council are also currently tending for CCTV cameras to be put in the pavilion.