Fence will bar skateboarders

Members of the executive committee gave their seal of approval to the scheme which will cost £6,500 and involve fencing off the whole of the bandstand.

The call for more measures to remove the increasing numbers of skateboarders in that area, close to McDonald's, came amid fears from the council and shopkeepers about the safety of the public.

Committee members also agreed to recommend to the full council that responsibility for a by-law to control skateboarding in certain parts of the borough should be delegated to the licensing committee, who will next meet on September 4.

A further report setting out the scope and coverage of the by-law will be brought to a further meeting of the executive.

Town centre manager Lisa Durkin said: "This is a step in the right direction and hopefully it is going to start to make the area safe and more secure for shopkeepers. We will have to consider what it will look like but at the end of the day the priority is to ensure the safety of the shoppers and businesses."

Coun Barry Guttridge, of the borough council's executive, said: "I would just like to say to the teenagers that we haven't forgotten about them and we are not trying to spoil their fun.

"But this is first and foremost a health and safety issue in the town centre. We are looking at a number of possible sites for a permanent skate park for the youngsters to use."

Fellow member Coun Peter Kenyon said: "There was a feeling at the meeting that something definitely needed to be done but the argument was about the timing of things.

"Given that the council is in the process of attempting to establish a purpose-built skate park in Queen's Park the question was asked whether it would be wise to go ahead with the fence now or delay it.

"It was decided that it would be better to go ahead with it in the interests of public safety. The funding will come from the council's maintenance budget."