YOUNG footballers have been left with nowhere to train after a housing developer prevented them from using a field in their village.

Youngsters in Middleton St George, near Darlington, are devastated because George Wimpey North-East has banned all ball games on open land near the Highfield estate.

The village's football team used to train every Saturday on the field, owned by Wimpey, but signs erected by the company have put a stop to the sessions.

The move has angered parents and children, with 300 people signing a petition started by villager Joanne Moncur.

"They can't expect families to live on the estate and children not to play there. The youngsters are absolutely gutted," she said.

"We set up the football team to give them something to do and now it has been stopped. We can't win."

Nine-year-old Peter Smith, a keen footballer, also set up his own petition, collecting more than 60 signatures against the football ban.

Resident Kevin Harland, 34, whose son Jordan, eight, plays football, is also against the ban, saying the field is a sustainable resource and cannot be damaged by football.

But Wimpey disagrees and has put up No Ball Games signs after a site inspection in response to a complaint from a local woman.

The developer sent letters to all affected residents, stating: "It was never intended to be a football pitch and in its present condition cannot be transferred to the local authority."

The developer said in the letter that the land had been excessively damaged by the sessions, although the company refused to comment on the ban when contacted by The Northern Echo.

Ward councillor Doris Jones said: "The children are being pushed out. It could encouraging them to hang about on street corners."

The team will continue to play matches on the village's cricket pitch.