A DISUSED bus depot is being opened as a venue for skateboarders.

The building, in Magdalen Street, Colchester, will be opened for the First week of the summer holidays on a trial basis.

Colchester Council, which owns the site, could open it to teenagers if the scheme is a success.

Extreme sports enthusiasts have been asking for somewhere to use since being banned from practising outside the Firstsite art gallery.

Annie Feltham, councillor responsible for leisure, said: “People have broken into the bus station in the past and it’s been a nightmare for residents.

“It’s been too dangerous to use. There was even a small fire there a few months back.

“I’m really keen to see it used.

“The idea came partly from asking where teenagers could skateboard after Firstsite was closed to them.”

Skateboarders will be able to use the area directly behind the doors to the bus depot, which has been cleaned up.

The rest of the site will be cordoned off and all of it will be monitored constantly.

Mrs Feltham said: “A lot of people have helped to clean it up. It’s been a real piece of community action.”

The former bus depot closed in 2009. It hosted a play by Colchester’s Mercury Theatre later that year.

Skateboarder Mark Cator, 24, praised the council for looking for a new site.

He said: “I can understand why they don’t want skateboarders at Firstsite and the new place offers a reasonably good solution.”

He said skateboarders are still using Firstsite despite the ban and will probably continue to do so, because it is close to the town centre.

He said: “They both offer two different types of skating so we will probably end up using both.”

The former bus depot will be open from Monday, July 23 to Friday, July 27 from 11am to 8pm.

l A model car display will be held at the depot from 6pm on the Tuesday and a model aircraft display on Thursday, from 6pm.