A yellow card has been given to Maidstone council after it failed to mark out its football pitches the right size.

And that's despite an announcement that pitch fees will go up from April.

Referee Bill Stoneham spotted that there was something wrong while he was pacing out the Penenden Heath pitches ahead of last week's Kent Messenger Maidstone and Mid Kent Sunday League game between Weavering and Lynx.

The first foul he spotted was that the pitches were too short - just 98 yards, when FA rules dictate football pitches must be at least 100 yards.

And he was also forced to point to the spot when he realised that the penalty box had the wrong proportions.

Mr Stoneham, who is the Kent Referees’ Association representative to the Kent Football Association, said: “But the groundsman said he had no line-marking equipment on site to alter it.”

Mr Stoneham said he then spoke to a parks supervisor by telephone. He said: “Astonishingly, the man said he didn’t even know it had to be 100 yards.”

However, both teams agreed that the game should go ahead.

From April 1, Maidstone is putting up the fee for football pitch hire from £46.20 to £50, plus VAT, a rise of 8.7 per cent in the base rate.

Mr Stoneham said: “It’s typical; the council are charging more but they can’t even get the basics right.”

Mark Savage, secretary of Weavering FC, said: “This is our home pitch, so it’s disappointing. You pay out all that money; you expect to have it right.”

It is thought that the mistake happened when the pitches were moved slightly because of stones coming through the ground near the goalmouth.

A spokesman for Maidstone council said: “The pitch was moved at the beginning of this season to make better use of the available space. The size of the pitch was checked at the time it was moved and will be re-checked within the next week and if the pitch is shorter than the standard 100 yards then it will be extended.”