Break-in attempt and damage to Hawick’s Royal Albert clubrooms blasted as disgusting

Jim Borthwick behind the bar at Hawick Royal Albert FC clubrooms.

The football club’s premises at Mansfield Park were damaged ay a man trying to break-in last night.

And while that attempt was ultimately unsuccessful, damage was caused to the main door and stand doors too.

Club steward Jim Borthwick says the volunteer-run club has now been targeted more times than he would like to count.

“It’s absolutely disgusting, it really is,” he said. “There is nothing for thieves to take anyway because we have been selling off stock before it goes out of date so there’s only a few bottles left in the optics to even take if they had gotten in.

“They damaged the main door which we are going to have to replace and one of the stand doors too.”

Previous break-ins, where thieves made off with alcohol and bandit machine cash, prompted the Royal Albert committee to install a security camera system as a deterrent.

Cameras had been fitted only days when thieves broke in and stole cash and spirits from the club last August.

And in April this year they struck again making off with alcohol from the bar.

The club has shared footage of a man caught on CCTV today and are busy adding additional security measures.

Jim added: “We have had the engineer down today fitting in two metal gates and three doors have now been plated with steel sheeting.

“With this and the flooding earlier this year it’s been a horrendous start to this year for us, but it’s like everything else you have to get on with it.

“We’ve little income for the club just now apart from the scratch cards run each Saturday and there’s just not a lot we can do.

“But it is very disheartening when something like this happens again.

“Police are doing their usual enquiries.”

A force spokesman added: “Police Scotland was made aware of an attempted break-in at premises on Mansfield Road in Hawick sometime between 6pm on Wednesday, May 20 and 9.20am on Thursday, May 21.

“Enquiries are ongoing and at an early stage. Anyone with information can contact police on 101, quoting 1058 of Thursday, May 21, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”