Youngsters at a Winchester school have been ordered off a public playing field where they were taking part in a games lesson.

St Bede Primary School has been stunned to be evicted from the playing fields it has used since it opened in 1912.

The class from St Bede was on River Park close to the primary school when a contractor from city council contractors Serco ordered them away.

Dominic Hiscock, chairman of the board of governors at the school, said: "I'm absolutely furious about this. It is very serious. It's ironic that when the council is considering spending £1m on an athletics track at Bar End they are evicting children from a local park."

St Bede has no playing field and so has used the public park for generations.

George Beckett, council leader, said: "The use of North Walls Recreation Ground by St Bede School was brought to the attention of the officer now in charge of sports and recreation, who was not aware of a previous informal arrangement with the school that had allowed them to use the recreation ground for sports activities."