CHILDREN are being stopped from enjoying a park because the council will not cut the grass, according to residents.

Staff at Blackburn with Darwen Council emailed a reply to Phil Barber of Kirby Road, Ewood, to say that due to budget cuts, the football pitch at the end of his road will no longer be attended to, and only sections of grass surrounding play equipment will be trimmed.

Mr Barber, 43, an account director for a marketing company, says his three-year-old son Callum is suffering because of the decision.

He said: “The grass on the football pitch is about two-and-a-half-feet high, and children can’t play.

“The council claim it’s down to cost-cutting, but to not cut grass is ridiculous, and to say it won’t be cut in the future can only damage our children’s health and welfare if they have nowhere to exercise safely.”

“They keep all the big parks, and they’ve cleaned up for the royal visit, but they won’t look at our park. Perhaps it is because we are out of the way.

“There’s lots of children in this area who just want to have a kick about and they are being stopped. It’s not fair on them.”

Faryad Hussain, executive member for Environmental Improvement and Sustainability, said: "Due to the unprecedented £33m cuts faced by the Council over the next four years, we have had to review every service we provide including parks maintenance.

“The football pitch will be cut but at a reduced rate.

"This is because the grass cutting team has been been significantly reduced to just one team of four men."