THEY may have cost £140,000, but there’s no chance of game, set and match in the hot weather for Poole's tennis players.

The "specialist court surface" on Poole Park's new tennis courts can't be played on if the temperature is higher than 22C.

Mum Amanda Jenkins bought a £24 key fob for her son, Stanley, 8 to allow him access to the courts, which opened on June 20, 2013.

Bournemouth Echo:

But every time they've tried to book a slot, the courts have been closed.

Amanda said: “It has been shut every time we have tried to book a slot on the Poole Council website, and comes up with the message about how due to the hot weather, the court’s surface can’t be used. It’s ridiculous.

“When you think of summer, you think of tennis, and after Andy Murray won Wimbledon the other week, I should imagine many people will want to play on the courts.”

Since June 20, the courts have been open for 14.5 days and closed 11.5 days, including yesterday, July 16.

Anthony Rogers, Recreation Manager at Borough of Poole, said: “The new tennis courts in Poole Park have a specialist macadam surface, which takes time to fully settle.

“Following advice from the Lawn Tennis Association and the construction contractor, during the initial settling-in period we need to temporarily suspend play on the courts when the temperature rises above 22°C to protect them from damage.”

The 10-day forecast from the MET office predicts these temperatures will remain until the end of July, and therefore the council has taken the decision to temporarily suspend bookings for the remainder of the month.