NO football matches will be played on Sandwell pitches until January after all games which were set for this weekend have been cancelled.

Sandwell Council has today announced that all football matches which were to be played on its pitches this Saturday (December 16) and Sunday (December 17) will no longer take place due to the weather.

The council also confirmed that no further matches will now take place on the borough pitches until Saturday January 6 and Sunday January 7 – weather permitting.

A council spokesman said: β€œThe decision has been taken to prevent the pitches from becoming churned up and unusable for future matches this season.”