BOLTON'S new £180,000 skate park has been hailed by the town's boarders, bladers and bikers.

The new and improved open-air concrete park has proved popular since it was opened early last month, and the fine Easter weather has brought out skaters in their droves — from Bolton and beyond.

The skate park has been designed and created by construction firm Freestyle Skateparks, and enlisted the help of 12 young boarders and BMX riders from Bolton to help with the design.

It contains a range of ramps, quarter pipes, fun boxes and rails to allow skaters to perfect their tricks.

The results have proved to be very successful, with skateboarders saying the finished article was "amazing".

Aaron Glezebrook, aged 16, from Smithills, said: "It has been brilliant, it is a great meeting place for everyone to skate and the facilities here are brilliant.

"The fact that it is concrete is great, because it means that when you fall it isn't as painful, and it is a really nice smooth surface. It is also good at night because it is metal, as it reflects the light."

Kallum Slavin, aged 18, from Great Lever, added: "This is the best skate park around, I don't need to go into Manchester now to go skating, so it is great that we have such a good skate park in Bolton.

"There have been loads of people coming from Manchester to Bolton, because it is so good.

"It is also keeping kids off the street, getting them out in the fresh air and active, instead of staying at home on their Xbox or getting into trouble."

The park has been built on the site of the old park in Dawes Street, and measures 1,275 square metres, which is almost double the size of the previous facility.

The old skate park opened in 2007, and due to its popularity, council bosses decided to create a new park to cater for the increasing number of youngsters wanting to get involved.

Such was the anticipation for the opening of the new skate park that a number of young people scaled fix foot fences to experience it before it was officially opened.

As a result of the expansion, the footpath from Great Moor Street to Morrisons has now been diverted.

The world's first skate park was opened in Arizona in September 1965.

The largest skate park in the world is located in Shanghai, China, which was built in 2005 and is more than 12,000 square meters in area.

The Rom Skatepark, in Hornchurch, East London, was last year awarded Grade II listed status by Historic England. The skate park, built in 1978, was recognised as "nationally important and of special interest".

The popularity of skate parks experienced a surge in America in the late 1990s after new laws stated that municipalities were not to be held liable for claims of negligence resulting from the injuries of skaters.

Generations of young people became inspired to skate after playing the popular video game series fronted by star skater Tony Hawk.