YOUNGSTERS fed up with people walking across a skate park in Bolton town centre took matters into their own hands and blocked up the entrance.

Bewildered passers-by noticed the blockage to the park in Dawes Street last week, which consisted of road signs and construction barriers from nearby works in Great Moor Street and a wheelie bin.

An 18-year-old skater, who asked not to be named, said it had been done by younger teenagers who were unhappy with people walking across the area when they were skating, ignoring council signs which state the entrance is only for those using the skate park.

He said: "They had enough of what was going on with people walking through so they got some of the stuff from the construction site.

"It is some of the younger ones who are getting yelled at by other people and they aren’t doing anything wrong.

"Obviously the kids don’t have permission to do this but they are trying to put a point across. I don't necessarily agree with it. In my opinion, there are different ways to go about it."

He said the incidents have led to arguments between the walkers and skaters, with some instances of people being knocked off their feet and off their boards.

The skater said he had to jump off his board on one occasion to avoid someone.

He said: "The majority of the time this is caused by the simple fact of the public either not being able to read properly or being extremely ignorant.

"Something needs to be done about this before a member of the public is seriously injured."

And he has concerns that with summer approaching the skate park is going to get busier, with more people walking through.

He said: "We have got summer coming up and there are going to be getting more and more people walking across the skate park, including some with prams."

The skater suggested installing either a bigger sign at the entrance or putting up gates in the entrance of the park.

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “The skate park is well used and we installed signs last July to remind pedestrians to not 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.”