BOSSES at a new sports centre say they are not denying the public the right to use its adjoining playing fields - which some still regard as common land.

The Colburn Community Partnership runs the health and recreation centre, built with help from Sport England and European cash.

However, some residents said they had been prevented from using the outdoor pitches, which have been used for community recreation for decades.

"I understand the Colburn Community Partnership has been given a 99-year lease on the land by Colburn Town Council, which I wouldn't dispute,'' said resident of the nearby Regents Park estate, Martin Smith.

"However, what they seem to be saying now is that anyone who walks on the playing fields without booking them is trespassing.

"That suggests, if kids want to have a kick-about, fly a kite or use the fields for a game of rounders, they ought to be paying.''

Mr Smith said he was convinced not all Colburn residents were aware of the implications when the sports centre was built and said a number of people have been dismayed when asked to leave the pitches.

Community partnership spokeswoman Kay Lerigo said the sports centre was only built after a ten-year campaign for modern facilities, involving the whole community.

She said extensive consultation was carried out by the Richmond Partnership, which explained in detail how the sports centre would be run.

"We would charge a fee for an organised football match or something of that nature but, if local families want to sit on the grass to have a picnic or to play a game, we would be very unlikely to interfere,'' she said.

"However, we have asked people not to walk their dogs on the pitches - and we believe it is a policy most would support.

"We have already had a number of complaints about dog fouling from teams playing on the pitches and from the people who cut the grass.

"As this can be a health and safety issue, it isn't something we can ignore.''

A meeting is now being planned between the sports centre and local residents concerned about playing fields access. A date has not yet been confirmed.