Wales recreation ground: Parish council shuts park over vile ‘behaviour and verbal abuse by youths’

A park for children under 10 shut yesterday following “wholly unacceptable behaviour and verbal abuse by youths.”

Wales Recreation Ground, behind Kiveton Park and Wales Village Hall, is a gated park with an attached children’s playground.

Over the summer, Kivetone Park & Wales Community Development Team is trialling opening the pitches between 9am and 3pm with a reduced £1 entry fee and four ‘golden’ rules - pay on arrival, be kind to staff, leave at 3pm, and bin all rubbish.

But yesterday, Wales Parish Council locked the playground park before posting a scathing notice on their official Facebook page saying a group a ‘youths’ had spoiled the fun for everyone after staff at the park were reportedly ‘verbally abused’.

“Please note, Wales Parish Council have had to make the decision to close the recreation ground park for the remainder of the day. This is due to the wholly unacceptable behaviour of some youths who have verbally abused the green space staff at the park,” the post at 5pm on July 25 reads.

“All members of staff (everywhere) have the right and expectation to go to work in a safe environment, and not suffer forms of abuse.

“We do understand this closure will cause some parents and children who wish to use the park disappointed, however due to the behaviour of people towards our staff today, we are left with no choice.”

Others in the area have also complained. Several posts on the Kiveton Park & Wales Community Forum also drew attention to behaviour on the playground.

“Day one and the little darlings are climbing over the pitch fences and leaving tons of rubbish already,” one post read. “Being rude to staff and some refusing to pay.

“This is a trial, if this crappy behaviour continues we’ll just have to pull it.

“Please have a word with your children if you think it might be them.”