The Isle of Wight's full-size floodlit 3rd generation (3G) sports pitch will be closed until early January at the latest, its managers have told the Isle of Wight County Press.

Yesterday (Tuesday), it suddenly shut on health and safety grounds and groups who usually hire the facility next to Cowes Enterprise College were informed by email.

Fees for those affected by cancellations to bookings will be refunded, the announcement said.

The pitch costs up to £100 per hour to hire.

In a further explanation, its operators said: "We noticed some maintenance issues with the pitch goals.

"In order to ensure the safety of those accessing the pitch and to prevent any damage, we took the precautionary measure to pause its use until a specialist company has investigated and undertaken any required maintenance work.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure this is done as quickly as possible, and we anticipate that the pitch will be ready for use again by early January at the very latest."

The Isle of Wight's first state-of-the-art artificial grass football pitch was installed in 2019, with costs standing at around £1 million.

Funding came from the Isle of Wight Council, the Premier League, the FA and the Football Foundation charity.

Birmingham-based Ormiston Academies Trust, which runs Cowes Enterprise College, also backed the project.