A new amateur football team has cancelled more games than it has played this season because of waterlogged pitches.

Fleece Cullingworth 2002 has played only four games out of ten and the club is struggling to find a home ground that is not left waterlogged after rainfall.

The nearest pitch, at Cullingworth recreation ground in Halifax Road, has insufficient drainage and no changing facilities.

And team secretary Alan Feather in is despair.

"I don't know what we're going to do. They forecast a lot of rain this winter," he said.

"We're trying to encourage young people to do something active and take them off the streets."

Mr Feather, an organiser of amateur football teams for more than 40 years, claims the problem has been ongoing for years and that a public meeting with the council five years ago brought no solution. He also wrote to Council leader Margaret Eaton for help.

The Fleece Cullingworth 2002 team was formed to bring young people together and to instil a sense of pride in the community.

Barry Shaw and his partner Glynis Jones, of The Fleece Inn in Cullingworth, invested the initial £1,000 to buy the maroon and blue strip and equipment.

"There's not much for young people to do around here so setting up the team made sense. We're all really keen but we're getting more annoyed and fed up now.

"I can't believe that we've got plenty of players, a strip and goal posts but nowhere to play.

"Playing on the recreation ground is like playing in a swimming pool."

A pitch at Parkside Middle School, in Cullingworth, has temporarily been adopted as the team's home ground but that also becomes waterlogged after heavy rainfall.

Mr Shaw said: "We thought we'd found a solution but again we can't play in those conditions."

And with 16 league matches remaining, the players are unsure about the future.

A Council parks and landscapes spokesman said: "We have been forwarded Mr Feather's letter sent to Coun Margaret Eaton on November 14 and officers are investigating the issues raised regarding local facilities.

"The area parks and landscape manager has been approached by Mr Feather and we are trying to accommodate the Cullingworth team on an alternative pitch in the village."