FOOTBALL club officials in Ferryhill are being asked to be extra vigilant when inspecting pitches, in order to guard against claims for compensation.

Ferryhill Town Council is asking club secretaries to submit a written record to confirm they have checked the pitch before every match is played.

The move comes after a player lodged an insurance claim against the council after he was injured during a game. The case is pending.

The council already inspects its pitches each Friday to ensure they are safe and free of glass, animal excrement and holes.

But the pitches are also used throughout the weekend, sometimes by four different teams.

Ferryhill Town Council's executive officer, Jamie Corrigan, said: "Responsible football teams that are members of the Durham FA do walk the pitch before every game anyway.

"All we are doing is asking for a written record, just to ensure that it has happened, so that if it comes to an insurance claim, we can defend it.

"With all insurance claims, it is up to us to show that we have taken all reasonable steps."

He said: "We have got a claim against us from someone playing on one of our pitches and we are defending it, but it would have helped if we had had these forms."

Mr Corrigan said paperwork proving the council has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of playing fields and playgrounds might have to be kept for up to 21 years.

Insurance claims must be lodged within three years of an accident, but a toddler could wait until the age of 18 before the three years starts.

He said: "The biggest headache for councils is that even if a claim is clearly not going to go anywhere, we have to get together all the information to defend it. That takes a lot of time and we have got to keep records for 21 years."

The council employs a part-time inspector, who regularly checks for pavement hazards and other areas which could lead to insurance claims.

He said: "We have got an excellent record of defending claims because we do have a strict regime of inspections."