AN athletics training ground in east Cleveland will be late out of the starting blocks because of a funding hitch.

The scheme is the brainchild of the East Cleveland Athletic Track Association and involves a six-lane track for 110m and 110m hurdles, a four-lane track for 200m, two lanes for 400m, an area for practising the javelin, a high jump, shot putt, pole vault, hammer and discus area and a long jump and triple jump sandpit.

The facility's home will be a former landfill site at Hob Hill, Saltburn. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has given planning permission for the scheme.

But the project has a hit a cash shortfall, because of a clampdown by the National Lottery board on how it distributes its awards.

In the past, it has been sufficient for groups which are getting lottery cash to simply have assurances that match-funding will be forthcoming.

Now the rules are being enforced more strictly and the athletics group has been told it must have the match-funding in place before the lottery board will pay out its cash.

The group has £50,000 in place and needs to get another £30,000 before the lottery board is prepared to contribute 80 per cent of the £400,000 needed.

Graham Hall, of the track association, said yesterday: "I can see the logic behind it, but we have two or three options for getting the money to bridge the gap and we are reasonably confident of doing that."

The plans include landfill tax money, funding from Sport England and the possibility of a commercial sponsor.

Mr Hall said it simply meant the development of the track had been put back a bit.

"Nothing has really changed," he said. "We have just doubled our focus on meeting this match-funding and we have to do that before we can proceed."