A WIRRAL football team is hoping to open a new clubhouse, despite complaints including public urination and broken cable television dishes.

Lairds Sports Club, on St Peters Road in Rock Ferry, is seeking a premises licence for the new facility after closing its previous one to raise funds and had its application heard by Wirral Council's Licensing Panel on Wednesday.

The club will be allowed to open from 11am until 11pm under the plans, although Kevin Birchall, club secretary, said it would not be open for such long hours, it just needed them in case of events such as funerals or christenings.

Some local residents were very unimpressed with the plans.

Speaking at the meeting, Bernadette O'Neil said there were complaints about the old club, especially from the vicarage.

Mrs O'Neil said the vicar had complained about people urinating in his garden, as well as issues regarding music and the way people left the club with cans and glasses being left around.

Mr Birchall said he had never heard any complaints from the vicarage.

At the time, the vicar was not in the meeting, but he joined shortly afterwards and denied that he had ever complained about the former club.

Mrs O'Neil moved on to her own complaint later in the meeting, after Mr Birchall asked residents why they had not made their points known to the club before this discussion.

Mrs O'Neil said she did not have a contact number or a name to go to, so was not able to talk to the club even though she had her cable television dish smashed by a football.

There were, Mrs O’Neill added, around 155 houses surrounding the sports club and that all she wanted was simple things such as having her grandchildren round, reading a book and having a glass of wine in her garden.

She begged Mr Birchall and his club to not disrupt those simple desires of local people.

Fellow resident Christine Robinson had many issues with Lairds.

She said she has had things stolen from her garden and she complained about noise disruption from music, as well as drunk people leaving the club.

Ms Robinson added that her side gate was smashed by a football from the club, and people going home from the facility had smashed her car’s wing mirror.

While the local vicar, Reverend Chris Slater, said he had not complained to the club, he asked Mr Birchall what would be done to control noise given his two children slept on the St Peters Road side of his house, near to the club?

The vicar also suggested having a forum of local residents and the club which met three times per year to discuss any issues.

Mr Birchall said the forum sounded like a great idea he would be willing to be part of and added that patrons will be warned at first if they behave in an unruly, noisy way and if it happens again they will not be allowed in.

In his closing remarks, Mr Birchall said he takes into consideration the concerns of neighbours and while there are going to be hiccups along the way he hoped Lairds Sports Club will be a positive part of the area and a place children can come to play football and exercise.

He said neighbours were more than welcome to come over and have something to eat and drink while watching a football game if they wanted to.