Rubber crumb too bouncy

"We'd completed our most recent installation and carried out all the relevant checks as required by FIFA and the FA," said a spokesman, "but immediately began to receive reports that the ball was bouncing 'rather high', which made playing football difficult."

"We'd had a couple of comments in previous months, but put it down to the newness of the surfaces, and advised that they would 'bed-in' within a few days. However, this now doesn't appear to be the case."

A couple of other contractors have reported similar problems.

"On further investigation, it appears that the tyres used to create the rubber crumb infill were sourced from outside the EU and were subject to exposure to more extreme weather conditions. This resulted in a change to the chemical structure of the particles."

"We have taken steps to remove this rubber crumb (which will be re-used on playground installations) and replace it with material sourced from within the EU."