MP Andy Burnham has slammed a "dirty tricks" campaign from opponents to the Leigh Sports Village scheme after an anonymous letter was posted to residents attacking the proposals.

Mr Burnham is furious that an unsigned leaflet was posted to residents in the Pennington area last Thursday night -- which he believes could jeopardise the proposed £75 million project.

Mr Burnham said: "It's absolutely disgraceful that this anonymous letter is doing the rounds in the Pennington area. I can understand that some people do have genuine concerns about the scheme but to post an anonymous letter is not the way to conduct business."

The plans include a 10,000 seat stadium for Leigh Centurions Rugby League Club and Leigh RMI soccer club.

It would also would provide a new home for Wigan and Leigh College's Marshall Street campus, a conference and business centre, a hotel, 72 homes, 45 apartments, student accommodation, a commercial leisure and retail development, a 400-metre running track, sports pitches and a 1,400 capacity car park.

The anonymous letter states that the proposed Sports Village, on land between Marshall Street and Atherleigh Way, would bring traffic congestion, parking problems, loss of an informal recreation area, noise, litter, pedestrian access routes through residential areas and damage to wildlife.

If the proposals are given the green light by Wigan Council planning chiefs -- then building work could begin next year.

He added: "I firmly believe that 95 per cent of Leigh people want this scheme to go ahead but those stirring up the objections could end this forever.

"If we get this through the planning stage, then I'm totally convinced that we can stitch together a financial package that will make Leigh the envy of towns across the country with a state-of-the-art sporting, educational and retail complex."