NI grounds below safety standards

Dozens of major sports grounds in Northern Ireland fall below current safety standards.

The details are in a letter written by Sports Minister Gregory Campbell, which has been released to the BBC.

In the letter Mr Campbell lists venues which he has been told do not meet safety criteria by varying degrees.

He said it was every soccer venue in the top two tiers of the Irish League, all six county GAA grounds and also rugby's Ravenhill.

Mr Campbell wrote his letter last month to Stormont's Culture, Arts and Leisure committee which discussed stadium safety on Thursday.

Assembly members of the committee spent about two hours hearing from government sports officials, asking them why legislation on ground safety introduced here in 2006 still has not been implemented fully.

Committee chairman Barry McElduff claimed the government had lacked urgency in dealing with the issue.