Three new artificial football pitches have been officially opened by footballer Jamie Carragher at Cheshire Lines in Liverpool, one of the largest independent fitness centres in north west England.

The pitches have been installed by Physique as part of the wider redevelopment of the site, which also includes a fitness suite equipped with Life Fitness stations, a ladies only gym, a swimming pool, a steam room and a sauna. A boxing room, two studios and a function suite are also among Cheshire Lines' facilities, which was acquired by owner Bill Martin three years ago and has since seen the numbers of members increase following the revamp.

Martin said: "Memberships doubled to more than 2,000 when we refurbished the fitness suite, and this gave us the confidence to invest in new artificial pitches for the club too."