Astroturf the answer to Pat's lawn dilemma

GRASSED-OFF Pat Hurt was sick of seeing his garden a mess—so came up with a novel way of cutting down on mowing the lawn.

The father-of-two ripped up the untidy plot and laid artificial turf and says his children now love playing outside.

“The garden was a tip,” said Pat (41). “We had a 13-foot trampoline there for the kids and it had killed all the grass. So I was just getting fed up with looking at all the mess.

“I was thinking about what I could do and when I saw the Astroturf idea on TV.

“Then a mate at work told me about when he went to America and saw the boulevards. He asked how they kept them so tidy and the tour operators told him it was because they used artificial grass.

“So I thought it would be great to bring a touch of Hollywood to Kiveton.”

Pat, who lives at Kiveton Park with wife Kerry and children Jordan (12) and Callum (9), said he toyed with the idea for a while and had to save up finally to get it done.

He and neighbour Phil Brown laid the new surface just as they would a carpet.

It covers 42 square metres and has holes for rainwater to drain through.

Pat, who works for a building company, said: “We did it all ourselves. We levelled it, put sleepers in and laid the Astroturf on top of crushed glass.

“That might sound a bit odd but it’s what companies lay block-paving on top of now.

“The kids absolutely love it, they can't get enough of it and are out there playing just about every night.

“We’ve got a five-a-side net, and bowls and pitch-and-putt. It’s fantastic—I want to get the front garden done next!”