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YOUNG skateboarders are afraid to visit Ilkley skate park because of bullying and drug abuse, it has been claimed.

Town leaders are urging parents to get together and form a group to regularly monitor activities at the East Holmes Field skate park, off New Brook Street, after complaints that many younger skaters dare not visit the park at times.

Year Seven Ilkley Grammar School pupils made their fears known to Ilkley parish councillors during work the council was doing with students.

Ilkley Parish Council chairman, Councillor Heathcliffe Bowen, says parents should know about the problems. The council could not organise its own patrols of the skate park, but said parents could organise a formal system to monitor the skate park themselves.

Coun Bowen said: "We really felt that perhaps we should suggest it's highlighted as a problem that these young people themselves are bringing it to our attention that there are problems. This tends to be mainly around bullying of younger children, and there were concerns about possible drug use down there from outsiders coming in to use it.

"We felt that as the parish council we should try and alert parents that it's a problem and they may wish to get together and have a kind of monitoring system. There's nothing we can do in that respect."

The skate park was finally opened in 2003 after four years of campaigning and planning, and an intensive £52,000 fundraising driver by community group PipeDream. The group, which disbanded after the park was opened, wanted to provide much-needed facilities for young people in the town.

11:48am Friday 8th February 2008

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