A burnt-out car has been left on Purley Way Playing Fields following a second night of illegal driving on the Croydon open space in a week.

Residents of Waddon Way in South Croydon reported hearing a car ‘maxing out its engine’ on the playing fields opposite at around 12.30am on Wednesday (October 9).

London Fire Brigade were later called to the scene after the offending vehicle was seen wreathed in flames near the grounds of Harris Academy Purley.

It’s unclear if the vehicle was deliberately set alight or caught fire and was abandoned.

Police are currently investigating but so far the individuals involved have not been identified.

Wednesday’s incident of vandalism of the playing fields, which a resident on the Nextdoor app branded ‘idiocy’, followed a similar incident on Sunday night (October 6) in which a Mitsubishi 4×4 was seen revving its engine and driving doughnuts around the playing fields.

The burnt out car looks similar to the one seen driving on Sunday, though it’s so badly damaged it’s not possible to confirm.

Sunday’s incident left deep tyre tracks across several football pitches, which are used throughout the week.

Residents have said it is ‘unbelievable’ such vandalism – this time in the form of a patch of scorched grass and the remains of the vehicle – has happened again so soon after.

While the 4×4’s charred wreckage remains on the playing fields, Croydon Council said no long-term damage has been done to the grass and the authority has committed to removing the vehicle soon.

While it is not known for certain whether the two incidents are connected, residents feel their green spaces should be better protected to stop these kind of abuses in the future.

Some, like Waddon’s Labour councillor Rowenna Davis, believe what she claims is the council’s lack of care for the borough’s open spaces has allowed vandalism to thrive at the expense of law-abiding residents.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It feels like a slap in the face for the community.”

Earlier this week Cllr Davis, and her fellow councillor Elilly Ponnuthurai, issued a joint statement which read: “The Purley Way Playing Fields is one of Waddon’s beauty spots; it’s scenic and serene and moreover extensively used by families, dog walkers and during this football season.

"Football is played throughout the week from children to adults bringing a buzz to the area.”

They added: “We call upon the Mayor to protect our precious green spaces and take better care of them.”

A Croydon Council spokesperson said: “The burnt-out car and the damage done to this important community asset are appalling. We will remove the car soon and have inspected the green space and believe that the damage is not permanent.

“We have reported the incident to the police and they are investigating the incident but we would like to thank residents who have contacted the council to report this senseless act of vandalism.

"We will work with the police and encourage anyone with information to contact them.”