WORCESTER Warriors’ main grass pitch is being ripped up today.

Warriors are replacing their pitch with an artificial surface over the summer which they hope will get plenty of community use next season.

Supporters have bought square metres of the turf which has been sold to raise money for Acorns Children’s Hospice.

The new pitch won’t be installed till mid/end of July but will be the first in the UK to feature an organic infill rather than the more widely used rubber crumb made from car tyres.

While fellow top-flight sides Saracens and Newcastle Falcons have made the switch to artificial surfaces in recent seasons, Warriors will make the move to play on the state-of-the-art, all-weather surface from Italian specialists Limonta Sport.

Warriors chief executive Jim O'Toole said: "It is a significant investment on behalf of the ownership and is another step in our journey to make the business profitable in the long term.

"To achieve this we must be able to use the pitch for more than 100 hours per season."