All football matches on Wirral Council pitches are cancelled for this weekend, December 5 and December 6, due to "recent heavy rain."

An estimated 300 games will be affected by the decision.

A council spokeswoman told the Globe: "Due to extremely wet weather, we have had to cancel all matches on our football pitches this weekend.

"The safety of players is a top priority and it is important that we protect the water-logged pitches from damage so that the rest of the season is not affected.

"Our football pitches are well managed and as a result, very popular.

"We have used established communications networks such as league secretaries, sports centres, local radio stations and attendants to cascade this information to the teams affected.

"We look forward to some drier weather so that we can re-open the pitches as soon as possible."