A RUGBY player, injured after he landed on a broken bottle during a match, has said that something needs to be done about dangerous items being left on the field at Barry RFC.

Barry RFC centre David Provis, who required a visit to accident and emergency and 10 stitches to close the wound to his knee, said that even more concerning was the danger being posed to the club's young teams who also use the field.

Among the items recently found on the team's ground are not just glass, dog mess and drink cans - often shredded into small, sharp pieces by grass cutters - but even a fork left sticking dangerously out of the ground.

David explained that while the club make every effort to inspect and clear the pitch before use, he believes more should be done to prevent the sort of dangerous littering that caused him an injury during play on Saturday, April 5.

David, 32, said: "I find it disturbing that people can be so stupid to deliberately bring glass bottles and break it over a field where adults and especially children play."

A father-of-two and junior team coach, David added: "Had this happened to my seven-year-old or any other mini or junior player who use these pitches it would be serious. It would have seriously done some damage.

"I've been very lucky not to have a more serious injury from the glass bottle that had been left on the pitch. A few millimetres deeper and that would have meant major surgery."

As well as making more people aware of the danger they are creating by leaving sharp and dangerous items on the fields, David said that he would like the Vale council to take action in preventing littering at the field on Merthyr Dyfan Road.

"I would like to see the council take more responsibility for the pitches and their condition," he said. "Far too often the grass cutting will churn up cans, glass and rubbish leaving jagged edges strewn across the field.

"Could the council put cameras up or even close it off to the public to protect children from the mindless, senseless idiots who enjoy creating dangerous situations."

The Vale council's operation manager for parks and grounds maintenance, Phil Beaman, said: “All playing fields in the Vale are inspected and litter picked on a regular basis.

"The Council works very hard to educate residents about the impact of littering on the community and takes enforcement action wherever possible.”