TEENAGERS hanging out in cars, revving their engines and drinking is a problem in one part of Hereford, a local councillor has said.

Recently-elected Newton Farm county councillor Ann-Marie Probert said residents living near the car park leading to Belmont Country Park had raised concerns.

The Conservatives councillor said that during canvassing ahead of the by-election in May, residents felt the car park was "frequently used by teenage groups hanging round in their cars revving their engines and drinking". 

She said: "The few that I spoke to would like the gates to be locked between certain hours of the night.

"After a meeting last week I found out that there is a lockable gate there already. It's never been used."

She said locking the gate between 10pm and 6pm was out of Herefordshire Council's control, as well as its contractor Balfour Beatty Living Places so it didn't look to her that it was something that could be done.

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She said one option was to get a group of people who live in the surrounding area to form a rota and take it in turns to open and close the gate overnight.

But she said it had been mentioned 10pm could be too late as once the cars are there, the group wouldn't have the authority to get them to leave.

She said she will visit more people in the area to discuss the issue, as locking the gate overnight could also affect early-morning dog walkers.