Calls for fencing after children's play area wrecked by 4x4 drivers

Severe damage has been caused to the grassed space where children and parents play during the summer and residents are now calling for fences to be built around the ground.

Father-of-three Darren Clark has lived in the area for eight years and said action had to be taken to make the lawn safe.

"We need some small fences putting up to stop bikes and vehicles getting onto the grass," Mr Clark said.

"That piece of land had everybody on it during the summer, children and parents playing together. There was a right good atmosphere.

"Now it looks so unsightly - when they came and drove all over it there was muck everywhere, even spraying up onto the windows of the flats."

He said the the ruts were so deep that the grass would have to have to be rolled and restored to make it right for next summer.

Windhill and Wrose councillor Alex Ross-Shaw (Lab) said he shared residents' anger at the lack of respect for their home.

"Situations like this are caused by one or two low lives who don't even live in the area and ruin it for everyone else who takes pride in their community.

"It's disgusting that people think they can treat our public spaces like this," Cllr Ross-Shaw said.

"It's ruined a green space for residents and now the Council is left to pick up the pieces.

"When our budget has been cut in half we don't want to be put in a situation where we're spending money repairing this mess that we could be spending on vital services," he said.

"It's not fair on residents who are working hard to make ends meet."

Fellow ward Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe (Lab) had spoken to one man after he attempted to clear the sprayed mud from pavements.

"The road and pavements were covered with mud afterwards so one kind resident went out on his own initiative with a shovel and cleared the pathways so people could walk.

"It just shows how much people care so it makes me very angry about such unthinking vandalism," she said.