A COMMUNITY is split over a £65,000 Football pitch upgrade because there is no team to play on it.

Crossways Parish Council voted to spend the grant cash to repair and upgrade the soccer playing surface last year.

The work is expected to be complete by August but some villagers claim the money has been wasted.

They claim the playing surface will not benefit the village near Dorchester because the village football team folded just weeks into the upgrade.

They have renewed calls for extra community facilities to be installed at the site.

West Dorset councillor Daniel Smy said villagers had 'major doubts' about the project paid for by a landfill tax grant.

He said: "Many villagers are up in arms over this and I can't blame them. It has been out of use for so long now and villagers do not feel the grant has been spent wisely.

"There is also the fact the money has been used simply to boost football. It would have been better used for other sports and community facilities instead."

The renovation project will see a full-size adult and smaller youth pitch created, both to Football Association standards.

Peter Read, of Warmwell Road, claimed the project was a waste of money, saying: "Why should so much money be spent on this when Crossways Football Club no longer exists?"

Mr Read added that people in Crossways felt the project, started last year, was 'not in the best interest of the village'.

He said: "A big amount has been spent which could have been going towards something like a skatepark or play area."

But parish council chairman Bob Russell hit back, saying the new pitches would be ready in time for the new football season in August.

"A lot of money has been spent on this but Crossways will have one of the best playing surfaces in Dorset.

"There would be no point ruining the work by opening it before the grass is right.

"Nobody has ever complained to me in person about this and if they are upset all they need to do is pick up the phone," he said.

Mr Russell added that he had recently held talks with developers about the possibility of installing a multi-purpose area near the pitches.

He said early indications showed the new pitches would get plenty of use come August.

"I hope we can create a multi-purpose area on the site," he said, "and I'm confident the pitches will be well used.

"There is some talk of a Crossways football team re-forming next season to play at weekends and I'm sure teams from all around will want to use what we have on offer during the rest of the week," he said.