WITH social distancing guidelines starting to be lifted, sports clubs around Somerset are eagerly anticipating the day they can get back to action.

It has been a difficult time for the county's teams and their players, but one club has suffered an additional setback.

Members of Ilminster Town Football Club have been hit by a theft, and are appealing for the perpetrator to come forward.

The club took to social media after a sprinkler was stolen in the night.

A spokesman for ITFC said: "Could we please request that whoever decided to enter a fenced off area last night to borrow our sprinkler please return this ASAP.

"Also please let us know next time that you would like to borrow it so that we can ensure it is a mutually convenient time.

"Since the vandalism of the nets we have improved the CCTV but would prefer this be returned than us have to trawl back through it and then treat this as theft."

Last year, the club was rocked when vicious vandals snuck onto the pitches under the cover of darkness and cut holes in their nets.

The people responsible cut through both the adults' nets and the equipment used by the junior teams.

A JustGiving page was launched at the time which saw the residents and other local teams donate more than £600 to help replace the nets.

The loss of the sprinklers has come at an especially hard time.

As well as having to prepare the pitches while observing social distancing, there has also been very little rain in recent weeks.

For more information and to contact the club, visit facebook.com/Ilminstertownfc.