ALL together now. In the immortal words of Victor Meldrew, "I don't believe it".

Parents in Wheatley Close, a quiet Rochford cul-de-sac, face arrest if their children continue to play football in the street outside their homes.

Cul-de-sacs were largely invented to provide safe play areas for children under the watchful eye of parents, and youngsters have been playing ball games in the street for centuries.

Now, this age-old activity has been outlawed.

Rochford neighbourhood PC Michelle Rawson argues the children could go to the park to play.

But impromptu mingling with neighbourhood kids should be part of everyone's childhood. Children shouldn't have to be shunted into an approved play zone, often some distance away, every time they want to go out and play for a few minutes.

By banning children from natural, harmless patterns of play, we are preventing them from letting off steam, and almost forcing them to become couch potatoes.

We are also helping to create a frustrated generation who will grow up to commit acts of genuine delinquency, instead of just harmlessly kicking a ball around on a street.