PUPILS at one primary school looking to emulate their World Cup heroes in the future might have to wait a few years after being banned from playing football, much to the anger of parents.

Thomas Willingale School in Debden has outlawed youngsters playing 'the beautiful game' in the playground over concerns for health and safety, and the nuisance that staff say it causes local residents and drivers.

With the World Cup in South Africa only two weeks away, all footballs have been banned, with the school only permitting children to use small 'airflow' plastic balls – which, as any football-mad child will tell you, are just not the same.

Keith Ingleton, 50, of Englands Lane in Loughton has two children, aged seven and nine, at the school.

He said: "We got a letter two days ago banning footballs. A lot of the parents are concerned about it. The kids are getting bored at playtime and there's fights breaking out.

"It's two weeks before the World Cup and they can't play football. We've got the Olympics coming up- they'll be banning athletics soon. They might as well ban the high jump because somebody could fall.

"I think someone kicked a football over the fence a couple of days ago and that's why they've got the ban. I can understand to a degree if they're out on the playground but they've got a massive playing field with no chance of kicking a football over the fence. Beckham couldn't do it."

Beverly Jones, 43, of Pearls Green in Loughton, has three children aged seven, five and three at the school.

She said: “I think it's crazy. Why can't they just let them play football on the school field? Then the others can just get on with skipping or whatever in the playground.

“At the end of the day, if you don't let kids play football then they'll just get up to nonsense.”

Fellow parents Gemma and Russell Deamer, both 27, of Mornington Road, Loughton, very similarly bemused and upset by the school's decision.

Mrs Deamer said: “It's appalling. How are we meant to have a World Cup-winning team in the future if they won't let kids play football?

“There's all of this around about kids getting exercise but the one type of exercise they love the most is playing football, but they're not allowed.

Mr Deamer added: “There's loads of thing that they don't let the kids do at the school, silly things.

“You can't film school plays at Christmas, they can't take a lunchbox in with them so you don't know what they eat, and you can't cheer them on when they're at sports day because you're not meant to encourage competition.”

Headteacher Marion Smith said: "We have allowed football for years. We have very good provision for children with a large field they can use. However, there have been one or two occasions recently where footballs have gone over the fence and into the road, bouncing around and hitting cars.

"There's recently been a lot of difficult behaviour. We have had complaints. People are driving along and they get a football in their windscreen.

"We are also getting quite large heavy footballs. We go down to very small children and if you get a large football in your face it's not nice. On the football field little ones play down to the age of five.

"There's a danger of them being hit in the face by a big leather football. We suggest they bring in light airflow balls.”