TEENAGERS are stopping young children from using a play area designed especially for them.

The former run-down playground in Pound Piece, Portland, has been newly refurbished for children aged up to eight, but teenagers more than twice that age have taken it over leaving the younger children with nowhere to play.

Portland councillor Les Ames said: "The play area was refurbished for small children by Weymouth and Portland Housing, but we get a lot of lads from 14 to around 17 that ride their bikes around it and sit on the swings and that keeps the children away.

"I've had several complaints about it. It's only a small area and yet boys are kicking their footballs about there. People are sick and tired of it.

"I've had complaints too of footballs hitting residents' windows and lads climbing into their gardens to get the balls, trampling over everything.

"The area was designed for children up to eight or nine, but the little ones don't want to go in there now. The whole purpose of the play area is lost."

Coun Ames said the problem had been ongoing which was why the area was refurbished. "We thought by doing up the area, making it available for smaller children, it would clear up the problem of the older ones hanging around, but it seems to have got worse if anything," he said.

Coun Ames said he had contacted Weymouth and Portland Housing, which owns the area, asking it to look into the problem.

He added: "I don't understand why the older boys don't play in the Royal Manor Arts College field which is only across the road and open to anyone and there's much more room. There's no need for them to abuse this area. It's a great pity this is happening."

A spokeswoman for Weymouth and Portland Housing said: "We have had a complaint about older children going down to the play area, sitting on the swings and playing with footballs down there, which are ending up in people's gardens.

"Even though we own the play area and have put lovely new equipment in it there is no way we can enforce an age restriction. We can't say which children can go in there and which can't."