IN many ways, Darlington is a town which is looking to the future, with housing developments, a new shopping centre, an education village, a multi-million pound college relocation, and business parks among a number of exciting projects.

But the town is being spoiled by one outstanding blot on the landscape. Feethams, formerly the home of Darlington Football Club, is nothing short of a disgrace to the town's good name.

Behind the scenes lies a good deal of bad feeling and suspicion. The local cricket club, which wants to sell the land for housing, blames the football club for uprooting to its new stadium and not caring what happened to the old ground.

The football club's view is that Feethams is no longer its responsibility, although it would be prepared to lease it back and invest in its future as a centre for community sport.

In the meantime, the eyesore grows and so does the danger. As our pictures today show, children have turned the site into a vandalised playground. They play on the roof, start fires and a tragedy could easily happen. Imagine the questions which would be asked then.

The stalemate surrounding the future of Feethams has to be ended. One way or another - and we hope the result is one which is of wider benefit to the leisure needs of the local community - Darlington council has to intervene and speed up what has become a laborious and perilous process.

Feethams needs to be sorted out - quickly.