A TOP skater has mocked Bolton's "pedestrianised" town centre skate park and made a video of numerous local people walking across the stunt site.
Professional roller blader Nick Lomax, who was born in Bolton but now lives and skates in Spain, made the video after returning to Bolton and visiting the skate park in Dawes Street.
He was shocked to see a steady procession of people choosing not to walk around the pedestrian route surrounding the skate park.
His video instead shows numerous people walking casually through the middle of the £180,000 facility as it is being used by skaters, bladers and bikers.
The video, which he published on facebook yesterday, has already amassed close to 40,000 views.
Mr Lomax, aged 29, was born and raised in Breightmet and went to Withins School but moved to Barcelona 3-years-ago to further his skating and blading career.
He said the amount of people he saw walking across the skate park is "ridiculous."
He said: "First of all it's very dangerous to walk through the middle of the skatepark, we reach top speeds and if we were to collide with someone it would not be pretty.
"Also I grew up skating on the streets, outside people's houses and I would always get shouted at "Go to the skatepark" so the fact people are casually walking through is hilarious really."
He said he believes a way to solve the problem is to remove one of the entrance gates to the park, adding: "That way there would just be one way in and one way out."
The new expanded skate park was opened by the council last year and built on a previous facility on the site.
Designed to avoid people skating in town centre areas, the park has been well used since it opened.
Bolton Council has urged people not to walk through the skate park and insisted it is not a public route.
A spokesman said: “The skatepark is well used and we would encourage people not to use it as a cut through – there is a path around the park which people should be using.
“Pedestrians who walk across there, do so at their own risk as it is not a public route.
“The skatepark is for skating, not walking.”
Nick Lomax has been skating and roller blading for 14 years and has reached professional level.
To view him in action, click here
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