By Linzi Watson

Last updated 08:16, Friday, 03 October 2008

A children's play area in Longtown that has been plagued by vandals could be uprooted.

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The riverside park, which is designed for children aged seven and younger, has become a no-go area because of gangs of youths drinking there and lighting bonfires with wood ripped from the park safety fence.

Arthuret parish council, owner of the land, has received complaints from local people and last week made the decision to look into removing the play equipment.

It will assess the costs of lifting and storing it before deciding if there are enough funds available for the task.

The park at Dolly’s Brae was built as part of a £350,000 improvement scheme which also saw a park area for older children and teenagers built on the riverside.

Parish council clerk Karen Johnson added: “The scheme was run by the Market Town Initiative and Arthuret parish council, because we own the land.

“A lot of good things came out of it including a walkway under the bridge and landscaping along the river.

“A play area for the older ones was also created but this has been left alone.”

She added the groups of youths, who have been blamed for leaving discarded drink bottles, recently took the wood off of a safety fence that surrounds the play park and set fire to it.

Mrs Johnson added: “This is specially treated wood and it is quite expensive.

“It is a shame for the younger kids who use the park properly.

“We have a lot of good kids in Longtown but a few have spoiled it for everyone.”

The parish council has agreed to get an estimate on how much it would cost to remove the play equipment and store it in the hope of reusing it as part of Longtown Moving Forward – a review of public services in the town.

PC Terry Hall from Longtown Police said: “Cumbria Constabulary has been aware of reports of anti-social behaviour at the riverside at Longtown for several months.

“We have worked hard to address this problem by having officers regularly patrolling the area.

“We now need to work together with our partners and the local community to ensure that youths in the Longtown area respect their surroundings and have access to activities and facilities to prevent them getting bored and congregating on street corners and local parks.”