Inconsiderate public leaving Herringthorpe Playing Fields 'dangerous'

ROTHERHAM Roosters rugby league club has branded Herringthorpe Playing Fields “truly dangerous” after being driven off by broken glass and dog muck.

The community club, which has adult team and around 80 young players, won’t be taking part in this summer’s season because of “inconsiderate” park users.

The Roosters—formerly Rotherham Giants—have played on the fields since 2009 but were relying on the creation of fenced off community rugby pitches proposed by Rotherham Rugby Club to provide them with a safe venue.

Plans for the £200,000 floodlit development stalled at a meeting of Rotherham Borough Council’s planning board last month, however, following objectors’ concerns about light pollution and any development of the parkland.

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Rotherham Roosters’ junior safeguarding officer, Louise Bell, said: “I cannot understand the people who objected against the proposal of creating a safe, well-maintained area for kids to partake in sport. 

“The current use for dog walking, inconsiderate owners not cleaning up after their pets and the sheer volume of broken bottles and empty beer cans littering the site is a disgrace. 

“How people think this is a better use of the playing fields is beyond comprehension.”

The Roosters’ decision to leave Herringthorpe Playing Fields came in the same week that the borough council placed them in trust to ensure that they existed as an open public space for sports use for years to come.

Club chairman Chris Bell said that he did not blame the borough council for the state of the park, claiming that it was more a “reflection of modern society.”

He added: “We’ve had to inform our youngsters that there won’t be any rugby league in Rotherham this summer and a team in Barlborough, near Worksop, have offered to take them on in the time being.

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