In the latest attack, a Mitsubishi Shogun was driven across Middleton Park and 'doughnutted' leaving huge brown circles in the grass.

It was then repeatedly rammed into metal fencing surrounding a bowling green, a building for park workers and a children's playground before being set on fire.

It was later discovered that the same yobs had decimated four putting greens on the Middleton Golf Course next door.

Leeds City Council has been forced to reduce the 18-hole course in south Leeds down to nine while the damage is repaired.

It is the 12th time joyriders have targeted the park this year, according to craft gardener Adrian Wright.

He said: "It's always in the early hours.

"This time they got in through an entrance by the John Charles Centre
for Sport which had been taken out by another stolen car a few months ago.

"We've had 12 stolen vehicles in the park this year, including ten 4x4s.

"Four of them have been dumped in the pond.

"We've also recovered 13 stolen motorbikes. The telephone wires to our building have been cut three times in the last two weeks as well.
Minority

"I love the job, I think the people who are working here are brilliant and a lot of the people in the area are brilliant but there is a minority who are destroying the park."

Mr Wright said one of the problems was that the 630-acre park has six or seven entrances which were constantly being vandalised.

Mum-of-two Debbie Ingle, 33, from nearby Town Street, said: "I took my little girl, who's two, to the park on Wednesday to feed the ducks. All she ended up doing was standing on broken glass next to the pond. The playground was destroyed. I don't feel safe when I'm in there but there's no other park nearby to take your kids to."

Police were called to the scene at 6.51am on Monday.

Sgt Paul Denison of Rothwell neighbourhood policing team, which covers Middleton, said: "This type of crime will not be tolerated and we would ask members of the local community to report any incidents of joyriding. We have a number of lines of inquiry we will be acting upon, and ask anyone with information to contact PC Natalie Woodhead at Rothwell NPT on 0845 60 60 606."

On Wednesday members of Leeds City Council's executive board will be asked to approve an ambitious plan to inject £1.9m into the park's infrastructure. The aim is to bring it up to the same standard as Roundhay and Golden Acre parks in North Leeds.