An investigation by a national newspaper has revealed Sefton Council have used legal powers to stop schoolchildren from playing with leather footballs.
It was revealed by the Telegraph that Sefton made it a “criminal offence” for one unnamed school in the borough to give pupils leather footballs to play with.
Instead they were only allowed to use foam balls.
The council said it issued a Community Protection Notice, which if broken can violate the law, to a school after nearby residents complained of ongoing noise issues caused by the balls.
A council spokesperson says the notice has now ‘expired’ and pupils can now use leather footballs again after measures were taken to stop the noise disruption.
However it has sparked concerns these enforced rules could be easily applied to other schools and settings.
Defending the order, a spokesperson said “During this time Sefton Council worked closely with the school to implement a number of provisions to combat issues of noise and disruption, which have been successful.”