BENCHES are to be removed from the entrance to a town centre car park in Wellington in a bid to try and stop anti-social behaviour caused by street drinkers from escalating any further.

Members of Wellington Town Council’s environment committee met on Wednesday (September 16) where they discussed the ongoing and worsening problems at the Fore Street entrance to the North Street car park where a small group of people are making lives a misery for those working in the area.

Cllr Mike McGuffie put forward a motion in which he suggested two benches should be removed from the area and big planters repositioned.

“There has been an upsurge in anti-social behaviour in that area and we can do something straight away,” he said.

Cllr MuGuffie said it was important that they did something to try and help the people who live and work in the area who have been getting more and more dismayed at the ongoing anti-social behaviour caused by a small group of street drinkers who congregate by the benches at the entrance to the car park.

“We could be pushing the problems elsewhere, but removing the benches and putting in extra planters could help the situation here,” he said. “There are things we can do – we could put signs up saying the area is monitored by CCTV.”

The council’s open spaces manager, Darren Hill, said: “We’ve seen quite a lot of anti-social behaviour in that area lately – there was a fight there on Tuesday (Sept 15).

“It’s becoming a daily problem – it’s becoming a massive problem. The people who work there are really getting stressed about it – they are distraught at what’s happening.”

The Mayor, Cllr Mark Lithgow, said: “We need to do something. Although I really don’t like getting rid of benches, but where these two benches are is creating a hub for certain people to congregate.

“The anti-social problems are a much bigger issue than just street drinking. I don’t know what the answer is, but there are lots of issues involved here including mental health.”

Cllr Sean Pringle Kosikowsky added: “Nobody should be put under this sort of distress like those people who are working in that area. We should remove the benches and look at perhaps putting them back once the problems have been sorted.”

Cllr John Thorne said: “The issue isn’t about the benches and I object to the idea of having them removed as that won’t resolve the issue. The real issue is the street drinkers who are causing the problems and they are the ones who need to be taken off the streets.”

Cllr George Western said: “People are arriving at work in the morning and finding one or two rough sleepers in the doorway. We as a council have a duty of care for shopkeepers and office workers and we need to work with the police on what can be done. Removing the benches would be the best thing to do.”

Councillors agreed to have the benches moved elsewhere and planters repositioned as a “matter of urgency.”