Concerns have been raised about the safety of a north-east football pitch after a black oil-like substance was used to mark its lines.
The liquid, thought to be engine oil, appeared at New Deer’s pleasure park on Thursday and was only discovered when a local man’s dog ran through the pitch.
He has now raised fears about what could happen if a youngster fell into the material.
The resident, who contacted the Press and Journal anonymously, said his dog had oil stains on its legs and paws after the walk on Thursday evening.
He added: “When I looked, I noticed that the lines of the football pitch had been painted with what looked and smelled like old black engine oil.
“There was even a puddle of it in the corner near the new pavilion and the grass around the lines was black.
“Surely this can’t be right. Kids play there all the time and people walk their dogs. Used engine oil is surely a hazard. How can they do this when the public are there all the time?”
New Deer’s pleasure park is operated by the village’s community association.
Last night, George Heatherwick, a member of the association, said work to clean the oil started as soon as the issue came to light.
Mr Heatherwick added: “We’ve gone down with detergent and cleaned up all the lines.
“It’s all been sorted.”
It had been set up in 1968 to “maintain and manage the New Deer Village Hall and pleasure park for activities”.
A website, formerly run by the association has been closed down.
Earlier this year, the group took over operation of the village’s public toilets after Aberdeenshire Council decided to close facilities across the region in a bid to save more than £300,000.
Yesterday, local councillor Norman Smith said he was unaware what the situation was at the park.
And it now seems likely the problem will not be addressed until at least the beginning of next week.
