A FOOTBALL club whose supporters vandalised a visitor attraction before a derby match has agreed to pay for the repairs.

Hartlepool United fans daubed graffiti on Darlington's brick train in the early hours of March 25, hours before the two rivals played in League Two.

The vandals filmed themselves dancing and singing in front of the £760,000 artwork. The video was subsequently passed to The Northern Echo and the police.

The yobs, believed to be Hartlepool United fans, were singing "We Hate Darlo".

Phrases, including We 8 Darlo, Top Of The League, Poolie Till I Die and H.U.F.C., were smeared in white paint across the front of the landmark.

Darlington Borough Council staff cleared up the graffiti the following week.

Hartlepool United officials, who have condemned the behaviour of the so-called football fans, have agreed to pay for the cost of the clean-up.

A spokesman for the club said: "We thought it was a nice gesture, given the damage that happened to the train to pay for all the repairs.

"It was an isolated incident given that the weekend went extremely well.

"The police were happy with the way the weekend's match went.

"This was a minor blemish on the weekend. We thought it was only fitting to pay for the repairs.

"We covered the bill in full."

The incident happened overnight on the eve of the first derby match to be played between Darlington and Hartlepool United at the Quakers' 96.6TFM Arena.

Hartlepool won the game 3-0 before securing promotion to League One.

A council spokesman said: "Our Street Scene teams worked quickly to remove the graffiti on the brick train and we join Hartlepool United in condemning those who vandalised it."

The brick train is situated on the A66 and belongs to the nearby Morton Park Morrisons super-store.

Nobody from Morrisons was available for comment last night.

During the game only one arrest was made when a fan wearing a St John Ambulance jacket tried to reach Hartlepool fans.

More arrests were made after the game for a series of public disorder incidents.

The police and both clubs said the operations and fixture went well.