Northumberland County Council and Hexham Town Council are working alongside Northumbria Police to help combat anti-social behaviour in Hexham Parks.
Having recently gained status as one of the UK’s very best green spaces with a Green Flag Award from Keep Britain Tidy, Hexham Parks is a striking park in the centre of Hexham, steeped in history with picturesque views of the town below, serving as a peaceful retreat for all with plenty of green space and children’s play area.
Recent months have seen an increase in anti-social behaviour within the park, which is having a notable effect on the park for the users, including damage to historic monuments within the park, destruction of conservation work and continued damage to the play area. Northumberland County Council and the town council are working hard to repair damages, however, they have warned that they cannot keep up with the repairs required based on the level of damage and will soon run out of funds for repair work.
Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Police are asking park users to report any anti-social behaviour they see to the Council on 0345 600 6400 or Northumbria Police on 101. Alongside this there will be greater police patrols of the park, dispersing any anti-social behaviour and CCTV will also be installed within the park grounds. Northumbria Police are warning those committing damaging offences to the park that they will be taking action against them.
John Riddle, Cabinet member for Planning, Housing and Resilience at the council, said: “Hexham Parks is a fantastic, picturesque place for everyone to enjoy and we wish this to continue, so to see the effects of anti-social behaviour is devastating.
The council is committed to working with members of the pubic and Northumbria Police to combat anti-social behaviour and stop the destruction of the Hexham Parks, ensuring we continue to keep the beauty and heritage of the area.
We urge any park users who witness anti-social behaviour to contact either Northumberland Council on 0345 600 6400 or Northumbria Police on 101 who can then take further action.”