BURY is the most expensive place in Greater Manchester for amateur teams to hire a weekend football pitch.

An independent survey also revealed that the borough charged the fourth highest rates in the North West, at £44.23 per game.

And the figure is set to rise further at the start of the next financial year in April.

But Councillor Wayne Campbell, executive member for resource, said the price would only rise in line with other charges.

He said: "All our fees and charges are set to rise but are not going to go up by any more than three per cent.

"It has always been a concern that the prices we have charged have been high, but people have to accept that that is the cost of providing that service. To reduce these prices we would have to find the money from somewhere else."

With the charges so high in Bury, it has been feared the cost may have been too much for some teams, who may have had to pack up their kit for good.

But Coun Campbell says that, on the contrary, teams often find it difficult to hire pitches because of high demand.

He said: "The cost to hire a pitch in Bury is admittedly a lot higher than elsewhere, but as they are difficult to book, I don't feel that the financial issue would have discouraged teams in the area from carrying on playing."

In the survey, carried out by the Labour Research Department, Macclesfield emerged as the most expensive authority in the North West at £49.00 and Allerdale the cheapest at £11.75.