Dirt bike yobs ruining £1.3 million Cannock park

CCTV has now been installed at Cannock Stadium Park with council officials determined to put the brakes on the problem. Council bosses said they had spoken to police after receiving reports about youths riding bikes at the park on Pye Green Road.

Joe Taylor, chairman of the Friend of Cannock Stadium Park, said: “We have been having problems and now we have done it up they are finding it easier to go round on motorbikes.

“We have been working with local schools and the police to try and tackle the problem. We have got CCTV on the park now.

“The main entrance has a car park and that’s where they are getting in. The barriers are wide enough to get a motorbike through.

"You can get a wheelchair through there, which we have got to have, so we are fighting a battle to stop them.

“We are working with the police, not only to stop them and prosecute them, but to teach them this isn’t an area to go on a motorbike, there is little children around here.

"We want to keep them safe we don’t want anyone getting hurt. It is always a minority who ruin it for the majority. Most people look after it.”

The authority said it was determined to tackle the problem and that CCTV was being examined.

Youths have been spotted causing a nuisance around the site in recent weeks, prompting safety fears and calls for action from residents.

The park recently underwent a £1.3 million renovation. Posters have gone up warning people not to ride dirt bikes at the park.

A spokesman for Cannock District Council said: “It is a council priority to foster safer and stronger communities in Cannock Chase.

“We are aware of some issues at the stadium and are working in partnership with the police, CCTV and other partners to try and tackle anti-social behaviour.”

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: “If anyone is concerned about behaviour like this, we would encourage them to contact 101 so that we can provide the appropriate support.”