HYNDBURN'S footballers will have new top class pitches when £330,000 worth of work finishes next year.

The work at King George V playing fields off Manchester Road, Accrington, will mean the pitches are out of commission for 2003/2004 season but they will be available for the start of the 2004/2005 football season.

The work has been made possible because of a £273,900 grant from the Football Foundation and £60,000 from Hyndburn Borough Council.

New drainage will be installed to solve the problem of water-logged pitches and raise one level of the field by one to two metres.

The council said the end result will be four premiership quality fields, a recreational pitch and two cricket wickets to match the new £400,000 pavilion finished 12 months ago after the original burnt down.

Coun Wendy Dwyer, whose Barnfield ward contains the fields, said: "I think it's wonderful news, we have already rebuilt the pavilions and this will match that.

"It is good news for footballers and everyone else, it is very positive."

Brian Rutter, secretary of Accrington Combination League, said: "In the future it will be great, but in the short-term it will be a bit of a headache, because we will be losing seven pitches. I just hope the council keep up maintenance when they are completed."

The Football Foundation, the UK's largest charity, is committed to constructing modern football facilities and developing football as a force for social cohesion and education. It is funded by the FA Premier League, the Football Association, Sport England and the government.

Peter Baron, head of leisure at Hyndburn Borough Council, said they have been waiting to do something about the pitches for a long time now, but they had never had the means to do it.

"We put a bid in for £333,900 and the Football Foundation offered us 82 per cent of that. It will improve the condition of the four pitches and as the football pitches are all on a slant, it is also going to level that out, by raising at one end by one or two metres." Steve Tanti, strategic director of community services, said: "This is great news for Hyndburn. The Football Foundation, by funding this work, have produced a great boost for local teams in Hyndburn, as they can now look forward to playing on this premier site."

Peter Lee, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: "The foundation is delighted to be able to fund this type of sports facilities the people of Accrington deserve."