Ban on use of Broadway playing fields crazy?

WALSALL’S new leisure chief has vowed to get a contaminated playing field re-opened for ball games after a seven-year delay – or closed off altogether.




Coun Anthony Harris, who has just become cabinet member for leisure, is set to counter-attack after it emerged that Broadway West Playing Fields near Pleck had banned footballers and cricketers while allowing locals to walk there and play hide-and-seek.



Pitches had been closed since 2003 because worrying levels of cyanide, copper, lead and zinc were found at the former landfill site, he said. The council had yet to find the £250,000 it needed to get the area cleaned up and possibly re-opened.



But Coun Mohammed Nazir (Lab Palfrey) said generations of sportsmen and women had used pitches at Broadway West without any ill-effects.



“In 2006 I presented a petition to the full council asking them to find some money from somewhere to bring the playing fields back into community use, but nothing has happened,” he said.



“I remember when I was a kid I used to play cricket there, and it was a good location and a good home ground for quite a few local teams. What I want to know is, what evidence there is that it isn’t safe for ball games, when for many, many years people played there and had no problems whatsoever. I will keep pressing until they come up with a proper explanation.”



He said a contractor had told him remedial work could be done for around one fifth of the £250,000 suggested by the controlling Conservative group.



Tam Fry, spokesperson for the National Obesity Forum said Walsall was a hot-spot for obesity and added: “Councils should be encouraging children to exercise rather than discouraging it with these stupid [No Ball Games] signs.”
with thanks to Birmingham Post for highlighting this issue...
this one does need investigating as it is madness not to allow sports activities when this Borough is desperate to increase such activitiy... welcome comments.