A HEADTEACHER has criticised a Government body that could see an all-weather pitch for his school being kicked into touch.

Clive Corbett, head at Pershore High School, has hit out at Sport England, the body responsible for delivering the Government's sporting objectives, after it objected to its plans for a floodlit synthetic football and hockey pitch, to replace one football pitch.

"All we are trying to do is provide a facility for local community," said Mr Corbett.

Youngsters are eager to see work start on the all-weather pitch, for which the school received Lottery funding worth nearly £680,000 in September, as their grass fields become waterlogged in the winter.

The town's football and hockey clubs, as well as youth football teams, would also make use of the new facility, to be built alongside more changing and storage rooms and additional car parking.

But Sport England is worried that the new buildings could lead to overdevelopment, and if the facilities do not prove popular with the community, the area will have lost the playing fields for nothing.

Sport England's stance means the plan will automatically be referred to John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, even if Worcestershire County Council's planning and regulatory committee approves the proposal when it meets on Tuesday.

Final planning approval will be delayed by weeks and possibly months if Mr Prescott chooses to study the plans further.

Mr Corbett has rejected Sport England's concerns and said he hopes pupils and the people of Pershore will soon be able to use the new facilities.

"The thing that disappoints me a little is that it may be their protocol to oppose developments on existing pitches but no one from Sport England came to discuss the issue," he said.

"I'd like to opportunity to have speak to someone from Sport England in a constructive sense.

"It is frustrating but we've been waiting three years for a pitch like this so an extra couple of weeks isn't going to spoil it for us.

"We hope it won't set us back at all because I am not clear on the basis for the objection."