More steps taken in crackdown on Stratford car park antisocial behaviour

A host of new measures will be introduced at Stratford’s Fisherman’s Car Park to tackle antisocial behaviour, following the installation of new gates at the site this week.

Stratford District Council is working with Warwickshire Police to address the problems at the Warwick Road facility following reports of littering, drug use, late night vehicle noise and general bad nuisance behaviour.

Complaints have also been received relating to inconsiderate parking, camping and incidents of public urination and defecation.

In addition to the new gates, the council has revealed that temporary CCTV will be installed along with signage, while parking bays will be marked to encourage safer parking.

Police will also be conducting additional patrols in the area.

A review will be carried out in three months to see the impact and whether further steps need to be taken.

From 3 August onwards, the car park will be closed overnight, from 8.30pm to 6am between April and September and between 5pm and 6am from October to March.

The 6am opening time has been designed to allow canoeists, swimmers, runners, dog walkers and fishermen the opportunity to enjoy their activities all year round.

Cllr Sarah Whalley-Hoggins, Community Portfolio said: “We have listened to our residents and will be taking action that we believe will help to tackle anti-social behaviour locally.

“This year has seen an increase in the usage of the area and the number of reported anti-social behaviour incidents and we want to do everything we can to ensure people can continue to feel safe.

“While we appreciate closing the car park overnight will be disappointing to some people, we feel it is a necessary step and one which should help us to reduce the issue.”

Stratford SNT Sergeant Rich Crowhurst added: “Anti-social behaviour is never acceptable. Everyone has a right to feel safe and we want to help build communities where anti-social behaviour is less likely to happen.

“We are keen for people to enjoy the town and its open spaces but doing so should never be at the detriment of anyone else. We would ask people to be considerate of others and behave in a responsible manner at all times.

“If you do use Fisherman’s car park during the day, be mindful of others, please remove your litter when you leave and try to avoid parking in an area that could block or be a danger to other road users.

“We hope reminding people of their personal responsibility will help to combat some of the recent issues but we won’t be afraid to take action where necessary.

“Our team will be patrolling the area regularly so if you have any concerns about anti-social behaviour, please speak to them in person or get in touch via our website.

“We continue to work hard to prevent and disrupt further incidents of anti-social behaviour and hope the public are reassured both ourselves and the council are taking the issue seriously.

“By implementing these measures and working together with the council, we believe it will allow people to enjoy the town while enabling our officers to continue protecting people from harm.”