Children '˜as young as 10' wreak havoc in park

Officers have received an increasing number of complaints from people living in the Rosefinch Way area about antisocial behaviour from children in the park at night.

PC Stuart Fitzpatrick said: “It has been ongoing to probably about three months, but it seems to have escalated over the last week or two. There’s been calls in the last month in relation to the park. It tends to be at weekends and on some occasions until 6am.

“They have been seen to be drinking alcohol, smoking, littering, using the swings which is causing damage because some of them are baby swings, using foul language, and climbing all over the children’s activities which are too small for them.”

He said police had received 10 complaints about anti-social behaviour in the area in the past month. The month before, no complaints were made.

On social media, Blackpool police called on parents to be aware of where their children are on an evening – or face having them brought home by officers.

A spokesman said: “How long are your children allowed out for?

“We have had multiple reports of youths as young as 10 hanging around parks, especially in South Shore around Rosefinch Park, smoking, drinking and causing annoyance to residents.”

PC Fitzpatrick said police patrols would be upped in the area in response to the complaints, and that they were looking at having a CCTV van parked on the street.

He said: “The noise is probably what worst thing that the residents are concerned about. The swearing and the bad language. The residents are at their wits’ end.”