BROMSGROVE Rovers may be left without a pitch in the town if their current ground is sold for development.

That's the warning of Councillor Peter McDonald (Waseley), the leader of the Labour group on Bromsgrove District Council.

Cllr McDonald claims to have learned that the authority's planned purchase of six acres of land for close on £500,000 at Old Burcot Lane for a new stadium has run into problems over the price.

"The land has yet to be purchased and is a long way off being in the council's hands," he said.

"Meanwhile, talks over the acquisition of the Victoria Ground and surrounding land for development are continuing rapidly, therefore Rovers playing football in Bromsgrove in the future must be in serious doubt."

And in another move this week Bromsgrove Rovers Supporters' Society has written to the district council asking for copies of all documents relating to the terms of the covenant under which the council was entrusted with the land in 1948.

Until quite recently it was believed the council had to act in the best interests of the covenant. But legal advice at the time that ASDA was prepared to give the council £1m to ensure the ground was never sold to a rival suggested the council was not bound by the covenant and was free to do as it wished with the land.

In a letter to the council, society vice-chairman Des Best said the documents are needed in time for Monday October 20, the date of their annual general meeting, when the proposed development will be one of the main items on the agenda.

Dismissing Cllr McDonald's fears Rover's chairman Tom Herbert said: "If we do move from the Victoria Ground, I'm sure there will be a stadium for us to move into."

No one from the council was available to comment as we went to press.