RESIDENTS presented a 126-signature petition to town councillors on Monday night in protest against plans for a youth shelter in a Middlewich park.

But they are fuming because a meeting about the shelter set to take place before the town council meeting was cancelled without notice.

CW10residents spokes-man Andy Bailey said: "People made the effort to come out to the meeting and no-one had the decency to say that it was cancelled.

"For residents to be invited to the meeting as observers but not informed it was cancelled is a total disgrace - we were sat around for an hour."

The shelter discussion, set to start at 6.15pm, had been organised as an opportunity for the town council to be briefed on plans for a shelter at Fountain Fields, identified as a suitable location by Congleton Borough Council's community task and co-ordination group.

It was cancelled because only two members of the town council were able to attend.

Mike Hunter, fellow CW10 spokesman, presented the petition at the town council meeting, watched by a number of concerned residents, and explained the objections to the shelter.

He said: "There is already an anti-social behaviour problem on that park, as many of these people can tell you because they live next to it."

Mike added: "We would hope you as a town council, which represents this town and its residents, takes full account of past and present anti-social behaviour problems we have and backs this group of residents in saying 'no' to the youth shelter on that park."

Town mayor Jean Eaton thanked Mike for his comments and said she would accept the petition and pass it on to the community safety partnership.