A NEW gate is being installed at Fisherman’s car park in a bid to stamp out anti-social behaviour at Fisherman’s car park.
It follows a flood of complaints about drug use, late-night noise, littering, inconsiderate parking, camping, and using the area as a toilet.
Stratford District Council and Warwickshire Police will be working together in an effort to tackle the problems.
A series of measures are set to be implemented over the coming weeks including installing a lockable gate to prevent people from entering the car park in the evening, installing temporary CCTV, increasing police patrols, putting up information signs and marking bays to ensure safer parking,
From Monday August 3, the car park will be closed to the public overnight. The closure will be from 8.30pm to 6am between April and September, and from 5pm and 6am between October and March.
But the 6am opening time will still allow canoeists, swimmers, runners, dog walkers and fishermen the opportunity to enjoy their activities all year round.
A review will be carried out in three months to see the impact and whether further steps need to be taken.
District community spokeswoman Coun Sarah Whalley-Hoggins said: “This year has seen an increase in the usage of the area and the number of reported anti-social behaviour incidents and we want to do everything we can to ensure people can continue to feel safe.
“While we appreciate closing the car park overnight will be disappointing to some people, we feel it is a necessary step and one which should help us to reduce the issue.”
Stratford Safer Neighbourhood Team Sergeant Rich Crowhurst added: “Anti-social behaviour is never acceptable. Everyone has a right to feel safe and we want to help build communities where anti-social behaviour is less likely to happen.
“We are keen for people to enjoy the town and its open spaces but doing so should never be at the detriment of anyone else. We would ask people to be considerate of others and behave in a responsible manner at all times.
“If you do use Fisherman’s car park during the day, be mindful of others, please remove your litter when you leave and try to avoid parking in an area that could block or be a danger to other road users.
“We hope reminding people of their personal responsibility will help to combat some of the recent issues but we won’t be afraid to take action where necessary.
“Our team will be patrolling the area regularly so if you have any concerns about anti-social behaviour, please speak to them in person or get in touch via our website.
Anti-social behaviour can now be reported online at www.warwickshire.police.uk
