GROUPS opposing the sell-off of playing fields in Wareham staged a protest on Saturday.

The fields at Wareham Middle School are used regularly by the town’s junior football team and cricket club.

Campaigners say that if the sale by Dorset County Council goes ahead, it will have a disastrous effect on grass roots sport in the town.

Miriam Fagan, from Save Wareham Playing Fields, said: “Lots of people have signed the petition, it’s already in the hundreds.

“Wareham Rangers and Wareham Cricket Club would be in the situation where their juniors might not be able to practice.

Purbeck District Council have done a survey and they found they were already six pitches short for junior teams.

“There’s going to be 200 houses built near the middle school and there will be no provision for them.”

Ben Seal, vice-chairman of Wareham Rangers FC, added: “We would be struggling as a club to have any venue or facilities to train.

“It would come apart as a club if this goes ahead.

“If the development is housing it will just bring in more children. It’s wrong in all ways; it would be tragic to be honest.”

Residents believe the land will be sold off for housing or a large-scale supermarket site, but planning authority, Purbeck District Council, is vehemently opposed to any out-of-town supermarket site within the district.

Mrs Fagan added: “If that site is developed into a supermarket it will also have an adverse effect on Wareham town centre.”

The middle school playing fieldsplayingfields, at Worgret Road, are regularly used by Purbeck School students. The county council insists part of the fieldsfields will be handed to Lady St Mary first school, but this represents a fraction of the overall land.

Under the county’s £35m education shake-up, Wareham Wareham Middle School – and middle schools in Swanage, Bovington and Sandford – will close in 2013.

The Purbeck School is also set to expand to an 11-18-year-old secondary school, which campaigners say will increase demand for pitches.