A campaign to save a sports ground from sell-off has been backed by a county-wide body.

Ward councillor Ray Gamble will oppose any plan to build houses on the site of a sports club house and three football pitches on Bromley Road, Colchester, owned by British Gas Properties.

He wants as many people as possible to contact him with their views. And now the Essex Playing Fields Association has joined the fight.

He said: "We would lose not only a green lung but endanger our wish for a fixed play park for Roach Vale children."

The site was owned by British Gas and the club house with its function room and grounds was used by the company's sports and social club. Following privatisation it passed over to British Gas Properties and can be leased by anyone.

The site is home to the successful Gas Recreation soccer club, is also used by gas recreation reserves and Sunday league team Colchester Gaslights as well as being a popular venue for local cup finals.

Although no formal application has been made to Colchester Council, British Gas Properties has confirmed it is considering selling off the site.

Mr Gamble added: "I am very concerned about it. Too many of these fields with football pitches are going - Woods, Paxmans and the Co-op to name but three - and I oppose it strongly. We cannot afford to go on losing these pitches throughout the whole borough."

John Gibson, chairman of Essex Playing Fields Association, said of the sale of land used for recreational purposes: "Our policy is to resist it wherever possible because we have had a spate of this happening including schools selling off their ground.

"In some cases it has not been possible to stop them but it has been possible to make sure schools and governors understand that part of the capital receipts from the sale of such land should be put into sports facilities that would benefit people.

"We are very opposed to the sale of any land because the majority of these pieces of land have been in the centre of the population and sometimes are the only green lung in the area.

"If anything is covered with concrete it is gone for good," he said.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.