LATE night rowdies have forced the night time closure of Milton Park in Alsager for the first time in its history.

The park is to be locked from mid to late evening until 8am the next morning to try to keep out gangs of teenagers.

The borough council is due to close the park in the coming weeks, following the completion of work to fence in the entire area.

Some £11,000 has been spent on installing 80 metres of 1.6 metre high steel fencing and gates along the Crewe Road side of the park.

The work closed the last remaining gap in the fencing around the park, which will now be secured at night by four locked gates.

"I'm sure the night time closure is going to inconvenience a number of people, but most people recognise it is in the best interests of the park," said borough landscape services manager Philip van Schijndel.

"There has been a series of problems over the years at the park with anti-social behaviour and vandalism.

"Following the provision of fencing around the New Milton House Home for the Elderly the borough council decided it wished to secure the whole of the park to provide the opportunity to lock it up.''

He said the park would be locked between 9pm and 9.30pm in the summer months, and about 7pm in the winter.

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