WORK has started on a new multi-use games area for youngsters in Charfield.

Contractors moved in this week to begin the project , which will see a 25 metre-long facility built at the village playing field at a cost of about £55,000.

Once complete, the new attraction will feature an all-weather surface in an enclosed area sited next to the skate park.

Users will be able to play a variety of sports and games, with football goals and basketball hoops included within the facility.

Charfield Parish Council is behind the scheme and managed to get the funding together quicker than anticipated, allowing an earlier start on site.

Parish clerk Hannah Saunders said with a building time of about three or four weeks, that meant the games area would be ready in time for the school summer holidays, provided there were no delays caused by bad weather.

Ian Kershaw, vice-chairman of the council, said: "This is a really exciting project and will be an asset to the young people of the village for many years to come."

Although the construction area is fenced off while the building work continues, parents have been asked to make sure their children understand the risks involved in getting close to building sites and keep away while the project is underway.

Part of the funding for the scheme came from the New Homes Bonus, a grant paid by central government to local councils for increasing the number of homes in their community. Money also came from planning conditions linked to the building of 16 new homes near the Plough pub.