USERS of a soccer pitch and play area where up to £23,000 was spent including drainage, say that three years later it is waterlogged and not being maintained.

The area, which is off Burnley Road, Weir, in Rossendale, is supposed to provide football facilities but has become overgrown and so wet that reeds and bullrushes are growing on the pitch area.

Kyle Davey, 37, whose home overlooks the area near Heald Lane, said he was frustrated that his football-mad two children, Logan, eight and six-year-old Leah, are missing out.

He said: “It’s the school holidays and they are now itching to get out and play sport, but it is just not suitable. The so-called imp- rovements were made but it’s overgrown.

“And the drainage is just terrible.

“They came to cut the grass today but before that it hadn’t been touched for months.

“It was full of bushes and the grass was more than two-foot tall.

“The only football posts my two see are in our back garden when they should be enjoying the outdoors and playing with the other kids from the village at the play area.”

Coun James Eaton, who represents the Greensc-lough ward, has called on the Rossendale Borough Council to make the area suitable for play.

He said: “I understand that £22,800 was spent on the play area in 2009 on levelling off, drainage, and other groundworks and goal posts.

“For that to be spent so recently and for the area to be waterlogged and in disrepair is scandalous.

“I’m told from officers at the council that they ackn-owledge problems with the drainage and are planning to ask for tenders for the work. This needs to happen as soon as possible.”

At the time of going to press Rossendale Council had not given a response.