However, I would take issue with the comment in PN that the 3G pitches are easy to maintain, when everything I have read says they have to be carefully and regularly maintained by trained staff. Work has to be carried out weekly, quarterly and annually, to avoid the surface compacting. I have just read comments regarding a 3G pitch not a million miles away from us where players complained about being in agony after playing on a poorly-maintained surface, and also saying this is old technology! Scottish Borders Council take note!

Younger footballers and friends from my extended family have commented their surprise that SBC is building a 3G pitch as they think of them as “Sooooo…. last year”! The new 4G – Fourth Generation – pitch appears to need less maintenance and is more environmentally friendly. These players preferred the 4G surface too!

The consensus of opinion was that 3G pitches can quickly become hard and unpleasant to play on if the maintenance is not done, with puddles of water forming as well, and maybe that is the reason a number of them are under-used around the country.

Are we going to get a million-pound white elephant in Peebles – unplayable after a year or two?

I am, etc.

Peebles resident