No soccer in the street

For generations, children with energy to burn have enjoyed a kickabout in the street. And the footballing youngsters of Utah Close, a small suburban cul de sac of 15 homes, are no exception.

Now, however, their simple pleasure has been outlawed by the local council which said their games of street soccer 'posed a danger' to the public.

The children can no longer put temporary goalposts in the street, and have even been told "jumpers for goalposts" must be "removed from the road immediately" because they are classed as obstructions.

The heartbroken children have also been ordered to remove any toys from the street, including dolls and bikes, because they too are a "hazard".

In a letter to the residents of the street in the Glenfield area of Leicester, county council officials warned parents that they face a £100 fine if their sons and daughters flout the ban.

The authority says its tough stance is backed by Section 161 of the Highways Act 1980 which states: "Any person depositing anything on the highway or playing football on the highway is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine."

The ban has been imposed even though no one who lives in the street complained about the children playing.

Instead, passing motorists, drivers using the cul de sac to turn around in and residents of neighbouring streets are thought to be the source of the complaints.

Yesterday, residents said the youngsters were being robbed of their childhood and called the ban an example of the nanny state gone mad.