A DIDCOT park blighted by vandalism and anti-social behaviour will not be locked at night despite calls from local residents.

Ladygrove Park has suffered from vandalism, graffiti, teenage binge drinking and boy racers over the summer months.

But Didcot Town Council has said locking the gate at the Cow Lane entrance to the park would be ineffective and too costly.

Council leader Margaret Davies said she hoped the cycle of problems had been broken through an increased police focus on the issue.

The council also plans to install sleeping policemen in the car park to deter boy racers.

But she said locking the gate at night would cost the council an estimated £5,000 to £6,000 a year.

She added: "We cannot keep people out of the park. We do not have eight foot fencing and whole areas are not fenced at all."

Mrs Davies said council staff were making regular checks of the park and reporting any signs of alcohol abuse and vandalism to the police.

She also backed a police campaign to involve parents in the fight against teenage drinking and anti-social behaviour.

Mrs Davies said: "Some parents are providing children with alcohol. It has been observed, not just by me, of parents dropping children at certain park areas with a crate of Bacardi Breezers or whatever."

"Obviously the majority of parents do not do that but some do."

She said the problems at the park, caused by a large group of youngsters over the summer months, were more than just a disturbance to neighbouring residents.

"We have had trouble in Ladygrove Park and its dangerous. Broken glass in a small children's play area can cause nothing but damage and hurt."

She said daily litter picks at all park areas were in place to combat the risk of injury.

Nick Hadjirallis, who lives in Longford Way, first called for the park to be locked in May.

This week he said problems with under-age drinking and boy racers were continuing.

He added: "I am convinced their still needs to be a locked gate to keep these people out of the park.

"Last Saturday people came in with cars, doing doughnuts, at about 2am, then again at 3am."

He said a strategy was also needed to deal with those entering the park on foot.

He added: "People want to go there with their kids on a Sunday morning and they don't want to see piles of broken glass."

Last week, Didcot's new police inspector Nick Cain urged parents to help combat vandalism and anti-social behaviour by asking themselves if they knew where their children were in the evening.

Extra patrols will target hotspots as part of the crackdown and a poster campaign will inform parents and children of the reality of getting a criminal record - including the effect on job prospects and travel visas.