A village skateboard park has solved one problem only to attract another - litter.

Set up to give bored local youngsters somewhere to meet and something to do, the Marks Tey park has started to attract youths from as far away as Clacton and Sudbury.

The extra numbers have brought with them a litter problem which only subsided when the parish council threatened to restrict use of the park in the evenings.

Nigel Fitch, chairman of Marks Tey Parish Council, said: "We solved one problem and created another, which we're trying to address at the moment.

"It attracted so many people and became so popular that we became victims of our own success.

"They bring bottles and cans and fish and chip papers and leave them all to clear up."

He said the litter problem eased about two weeks ago after signs were put up threatening to shut the park in the evenings.

Now, he said, the situation was being monitored: "We're very hopeful that we won't have to take any further action."

Published Monday, April 14, 2003

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