SCHOOL and community football matches due to be played at Darwen FC's ground could be cancelled because of a row over grasscutting.

Club chairman Kevin Henry said Blackburn with Darwen Council had refused to mow the pitch until the club paid for previous maintenance work.

But he has already paid £1,400 of the £3,586 owed and fully intends to pay the rest.

Today the council said there had been confusion over the cash already paid and Darwen FC still owed money for previous work.

Environment chief Peter Hunt said: "This situation appears to have arisen following confusion over which account the money should have been paid into, and as such Darwen FC still owes the council money for services provided.

"We are aware of the urgency of the situation, however, so we will be working with the club to try to get this resolved as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, the club groundsman, who is employed by the council, has been told not to cut the grass until further notice.

Mr Henry, who took over last August, said: "This ground is used by a lot of people and we are currently in the middle of a three-week busy spell.

"We are due to have a charity match today and next week we have two school competition finals which may have to be cancelled.

"If the referees believe the pitch is not up to standard because it is overgrown, they could decide the matches cannot go ahead.

"I signed a quote for £3,586 in September but never got a bill from the council so I made a decision to start sending ten per cent of the balance each month so I wouldn't end up with one big bill. I have paid in four cheques.

"At the end of March I then got two bills, one for £1,400 and another for £1,200 which had to be paid within 30 days.

"It is now just over 30 days and because I hadn't paid it all, the council rang to say they would no longer be cutting the grass.

"They know I'm not going to run off without paying and it seems ridiculous that despite my trying to get ahead with the payments initially, the council has now said it will no longer provide its services."