Fed-up residents must probably wait until early August for measures to curb anti-social behaviour in a nearby park.

As reported last week, it is claimed the car park and skateboard facility at Yew Tree Park is attracting people prone to anti-social behaviour.

The skateboard facility opened in 2000 and became very successful but has also become a place where non-skateboarders "hang-out".

It appears that it is the non-skateboarders causing the alleged problems.

Furious nearby residents have complained of anti-social behaviour such as the usage of loud car stereos and dangerous driving.

There are also reports of petty vandalism and an increased litter problem.

Town councillors met last week and supported a proposal to install a car park barrier to be locked/unlocked by a security company. But the proposal must be taken to the council's Policy, Resource and Finance Committee (which meets on June 10th).

If that committee approves the proposal, it will be approximately two months before the scheme, which is understood to also include speed reduction features inside the car park, is up and running.

A council report circulated before the meeting backed up residents claim, saying: "This extra activity would appear to have contributed to an increase in anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and litter.

"These problems seem to be related to vehicular use in the car park. As a result a number of complaints have been received from local residents, and time incurred clearing the litter has increased significantly."

It was a fairly lively debate in the town house last week. Residents who attended the meeting spoke about their experiences, saying they were forced to keep living room windows shut to try and keep out the sounds of roaring cars and thumping car stereos.

Fears of accidents involving children were also expressed as residents feel many motorists exit the car park in very dangerous ways.

"It is not a nice place to live anymore," one resident said.

Scouts use the building next to the car park, and had representatives present at the meeting.

They agreed something had to be done but said the proposed opening hours of the car park did not meet their needs, predicting there would be around 40 cars parked on the road outside at times unless the hours were extended.

One solution would have been to equip scouts with a key to the car park barrier but it was felt that such a solution could lead to confrontations if non-scouts demanded access to the car park as scouts were coming or going.

A vote was taken after councillor Ian Martin had proposed it was recommended to the PRF Committee that opening hours should be revised and the council be prepared to fund the cost of the barrier and the operation of it.

Councillor Martin's proposal was backed unanimously and the PRF Committee will discuss it on June 10th.

l Councillor Martin's proposal did not appear to include other features such as car park traffic calming measures and kissing gate at the Lime Tree Avenue entrance, but a district council officer confirmed later these items would be included in the package.