A DEVASTATED young footballer will be forced to use jumpers for goalposts after housing association gardeners binned his goals.

Football-mad ten-year-old Bill Scillitoe was playing outside his home in Estuary Crescent, Clacton, over the half-term holiday.

He usually keeps the goalposts in his family’s front garden, but moved them on to a communal patch of grass so he could play football with the neighbours.

But after running inside for lunch, Bill came back out to find the goals were missing.

He told his parents, who reported it to police and spoke to Estuary Housing, the association which lets out the homes.

They were furious after association bosses said the goals had been dumped by gardeners and accused the family of fly-tipping.

Estuary Housing said it was in the association’s tenant policy to keep the communal areas clear and took the step to keep the estate safe, clean and tidy for residents.

Read the full story in the Clacton Gazette, out now.