Villagers in Buchlyvie have slammed the council after a community playing field was left in a state of disrepair.
The wrecked surface is being blamed locally on the council cutting the grass late last week, when, villagers say, it was too wet, leading to a deterioration in the pitch’s condition.
It means that youngsters, local teams and even the nearby primary school have been left unable to make use of the valuable green space, with angry locals demanding answers from council officials.
One villager told the Observer: “The council is responsible for the maintenance of the pitch and it’s clear from the pictures taken on the night that they went on to cut the grass when it wasn’t suitable to do so.
“It was highlighted on a local Facebook page and there were 60 to 70 people making comments over the weekend angry about how things have been handled.
“The pitch is well used in the village, but the children of the village can’t use it nor can the children of the local primary school, as it is not only a mess but also a danger to anyone playing on it.
“The issue has been raised with our local councillor and one of them has contacted the council’s head of environment, but so far we haven’t had any form of response from him.
“We’re just hoping to raise this to their attention and get them to do something about it because concerns have been raised by a number of villagers over this.”
Images of the wrecked pitch were first put online by a local on Facebook, leading to a number of comments blasting the council for their handling of the situation.
One wrote: “Shocking! I actually can’t believe what I’m seeing. I hope they can explain that.”
A spokesperson for Stirling Council said: “We apologise for the condition the grass has been left in and are working to rectify the situation.
“A decision was taken to cut the grass during wet weather and this has resulted in significant damage to areas of the pitch.
“The council will undertake repair work to flatten out any larger impressions and, as the grass regrows, the area will improve naturally over time.
“We apologise to the community for the disruption this will cause.”
