A top Essex athletics coach yesterday turned to sports minister Tony Banks for help in getting better use of athletics facilities in Colchester.

John Hyland, who runs the highly successful Colchester and Tendring ladies' team, has been frustrated by the lack of action by Colchester Council and the Army and has appealed to the top.

He is bidding to find a solution to the ongoing problem of civilian usage of the garrison track which is part-owned by the Army, Colchester Council and the athletic clubs.

Hyland has long campaigned for athletes in north-east Essex to have better use of the facility at Colchester Garrison or for the town to provide a separate stadium.

A new website on the internet highlighting athletic tracks around the country infuriated Hyland after it said Colchester's was in mint condition due to lack of use.

Hyland said: "This statement has left any athletes in the town fuming because they know that one of the reasons why the track is not in full use is because of Army policy.

"This was highlighted recently when top junior international Sarah Claxton was paid a visit by her coach for a training session only to find he was not allowed to use it until the evening.

"Thus they had to drive to Ipswich to use their facilities. This is a crazy situation and surely the Army and the local council need to work out an updated method of using the town's only public track and field facility.

"Unless something is done, the situation will drag on and on. That is why I have written to Tony Banks to see if he can do something."

Hyland was also angered by the lack of consultation after work was carried out to repair the stand at the track which was was declared unsafe by health and safety officials more than a year ago.

Jonathon Dixon, Colchester's leisure services manager, said: "It is a difficult situation which is hard to resolve because of the unique situation of the track.

"Unlike other areas where people can just turn up and train we cannot offer that as it is in a secure area and not easy to supervise.

"At the same time we do not want to see people of Sarah's calibre not being able to train and that is something we need to discuss with the clubs at the users' committee meeting."

An Army spokesman today said: "There are plans to upgrade facilities at the track which include new hockey pitches and a new shot put area."

The next users' meeting will be held at the town hall, on June 22, where representatives of the club can air their views.

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