TOWN council-owned football pitches in Petersfield have been neglected so badly that one pitch could be out of action for a whole season leaving hundreds of youngsters out in the cold.

Hampshire Playing Fields Association Ð the supervisory body for the area Ð has condemned maintenance work carried out by the town council on pitches at Love Lane playing fields, leased to Petersfield Town Juniors Football Club.

The HPFAÕs technical director and general secretary inspected the pitches in November and said they were ÒsaddenedÓ by the state they were in.

It was the pitch nearest the pavilion that caused the most concern.

HPFAÕs general secretary, Malcom Miles, said: ÒI expressed surprise that these areas (goal mouths) did not appear to have been aerated or forked over and levelled

with good topsoil before any reseeding.

ÒInstead, gravel appeared

to have been spread

rather haphazardly.

ÒAlthough the season is only a month old these areas are now bare muddy patches.Ó

But that was not all, his letter to the town juniors went on to state that the pitch was infested with weeds to such an extent that it Òwill soon render the pitch unplayableÓ. The HPFA letter was forwarded to the town council, which is responsible for maintenance, on December 11 but as yet no action has been taken.

Chairman of the Town Juniors, Iain Robinson, told The Herald: ÒOne pitch has deteriorated so far that HPFA has advised us that it is beyond maintenance and requires recultivation. There is a strong probability that we will lose this pitch for a whole season, putting further pressure on the other pitches.

He said the club, that had over 300 members, did virtually everything themselves on a voluntary basis but were wholly dependent on the town council for pitch provision and maintenance.

One Town Juniors parent, in a letter to The Herald, accused the town council of neglecting the pitches for years.

Andy Owen was incensed by the town councilÕs decision to give the Festival Hall a £20,000 overhaul.

He said: ÒWouldnÕt it be nice if all the elements that the town council is responsible for, be brought up to the same level before enhancements are made in just one area?Ó

Mr Robinson felt that the club could lose members to other teams or sports, or even from sport altogether if the town council did not take action.

He said that the maintenance problems were flagged up to the town council two or three years ago.

ÒWe want to agree a standard for all of the pitches. Once that is agreed we should work together to achieve that standard,Ó he said. ÒAt the moment the standard is well below par.Ó

Mr Robinson added: ÒWhen I look at other pitches in the area we are mid rank and my view is we should be more ambitious than that. We are not a deprived area.Ó