The quality of the Burnden Park turf will be at risk if head groundsman Richard Norton is not allowed to keep regular supplies of water - even with the help of rain like the downpours of today.

As reported in later editions of last night's BEN, NWW has been granted special permission to ban a wide range of "non-essential" water uses from midnight on Sunday.

And "sports fields" are prevented from having hosepipes, sprinklers or similar equipment used on them.

Mr Norton said: "The recent rain has helped to keep the pitch in the right condition but we need to be able to control the amount of water on it."

To help drainage, the Burnden pitch has a high sand content underneath the grass, which requires regular controlled amounts of moisture.

A NWW spokesman said: "Burnden Park like any sports ground is covered. However, organisations who feel they have a strong case for exemption should contact us."

One option could be to bring extra supplies of water into Burnden in special tankers from areas with more water such as Merseyside or Cheshire.

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