Rubbish causes woman to appeal for more park safety

Jackie Duplock, of Russell Close, Worthing, was walking her children through the park near Park Road last week when she said she was ‘disgusted’ to find beer cans strewn across the ground and the field area, along with so much rubbish it was ‘impossible to skate without ploughing through litter’.

She said she and her boyfriend were worried there could also be needles for a child to fall on, and when they spent time picking up rubbish they found there was only one bin available.

Miss Duplock said: “We have taken our children regularly to skateparks out of the area which we have always found to be clean and tidy, the locals appear to look after their facilities, and it saddens me that the young people in Worthing don’t have the same respect for the lovely new facilities provided for them.

“It doesn’t seem the people in our area are proud of their local park and are just intent on ruining anything. We go out to other areas and everywhere else takes care of their skatepark.”

Now she is appealing for more measures to be taken to ensure the skatepark is kept clean.

She added: “Surely after so much money has been spent it would be in the interests of the council to protect it. A park ranger or CCTV could be solutions to some of the problems currently experienced in the park in order to keep the area safe for all to use.”

A spokesman for community group Friends of Homefield Park said: “There used to be three litter bins but they took the other two to use around the park. There is nothing we can do really.”

They also thanked students from the Sir Robert Woodward Academy, who took part in a litter pick.

The refurbishment includes resurfacing of the existing ramps, as well as the addition of new ramps for wider groups to use.

A spokesman for Worthing Borough Council said: “We have spoken about the issue, and Homefield Park is attended by the Adur and Worthing cleansing team every day, as is the normality.”

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.worthingherald.co.uk/

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Worthing.news

3) Follow us on Twitter @Worthing_Herald

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Worthing Herald - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.