RESIDENTS say their "worst fears" about the new and long-awaited skatepark have materialised.

Late night noise leading to the early hours, youths drinking and urinating in hedges, stones thrown in resident's gardens and anti social behaviour is making life miserable, claim local residents.

However, Monmouthshire County Council officers say that there are "teething" problems and that the park have been more successful than they anticipated.

One resident said she received many e-mails and phone messages relating to noise, the numbers of people congregating not only in the skatepark but also in the field next to it.

She says, "It was already being used before the contractor's fencing was taken down and just a week after people started to use it, there have been two accidents requiring hospital treatment, lots of noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour as the skatepark is not securely locked up."

Several Old Hereford Road residents have said that large stones are being thrown into their gardens and properties.

Hours of use for the park are between 8am and 9pm. Some residents have reported users at 5.30am.

"My husband phoned 101 the incident phone number for the police at 1.50am on May 28. The park was finally quiet at about 2.25am. Lots of other residents have also had to phone to report noise nuisance. It really is a nightmare."

Residents living near the park say genuine users of the park are causing no problem, "although they aren't sticking with the hours of use imposed by Planning when permission was granted."

"As we all feared, especially in this lovely weather, there are large crowds of people turning up in the Lower Meadow field, not interested in using the park, basically hanging out and getting drunk. The litter provides the evidence (pictured). With no loos available the area behind the acoustic fence is being used and residents have also seen lads standing in the field and urinating where they were. Which is not nice.

"This expensive park is brilliant, a wonderful facility and it's good to see so many people using it – it is just in the wrong place and attracts lots of non-users who want to hang out as MCC have been told over and over again by many different people and agencies.  Surely now it is incumbent on all those who fought so hard for it, Councillors, parents and users to help make a success of it and stick to the stipulated hours of use so residents also have some quality time to enjoy their homes and gardens and enough sleep to function properly."

Mike Moran, leisure and recreation manager at MCC said, "The skatepark was opened to young people on Friday 29th May and since then it has been extremely well used, with a daily average of 80 young people using the facility. Whilst there will always be a honeymoon period with the use of any new facility it is true to say that the initial intensity of use at the skatepark has been more than even we expected. There have been a few teething problems with out of hours use and with some peripheral issues such as irresponsible use of cars and loud music in the vicinity of the skatepark but we would like to stress that this is not from legitimate users of the skatepark who continue to act in a considerate and responsible manner.

"We have put measures in place to ensure that the skatepark is not used after 9pm at night and we are confident that these measures will work for the benefit of all parties. In addition, the various services of the County Council - including the local elected members from that area - are working in partnership with other agencies, including the local Police, to overcome the peripheral problems that have occurred. Before the skatepark opened we held a meeting with local residents to reassure them that we would take appropriate action to ensure the skatepark is used within the hours of use stipulated in the planning permission for the site and we are fully committed to carrying through this commitment. "We are in regular contact with residents' representatives in the area and, as we have said all along we will be happy to meet with local residents in a couple of months' time once the usage has settled down to review things and look at any outstanding issues that need to addressed at that time."

Mrs Howells lives opposite the skate park, she told the Bryn-y-Cwm Area Committee this week, "My bedroom window looks over the skate park. It is being used in the night, there are people there from 5.30pm to 2am. The police are doing what they can. Lower Meadow is being used all day, they are being picked up by their parents who toot their horns. Music is being played all day, it shakes the house. It's not just 13 and 14-year-old youths, there are people using it who are a lot older."

Councillor James George said MCC have failed residents, "One of the conditions when planning permission was granted was that the park was  not to be used between the hours of 9pm and 8 am. I visited the field on sat morning and it looked like a war zone, empty cans and beer bottles, peoples personal items of clothing and just general rubbish  all over the field. Gwent police have had numerous calls to the park at well past 12 pm asking for the park to be shut so residents can have a few hours sleep.

"In my opinion MCC have totally failed local residents by opening this facility without proper safe guards in place to respect local residents . I would remind MCC  that three years ago they were proposing to establish a board of trustees to manage the facilities and have failed to do so. Local residents deserve a better deal from council and as the local member I have written to Peter Fox , leader of MCC urging urgent action to rectify the issues raised." Abergavenny Mayor, councillor Douglas Edwards said MCC have failed the residents, "Three years ago MCC were talking about setting up a trust for the people around the youth centre. The park would have fallen under that category. They failed to do this and failed the people and are now running around looking for security. The residents are jsutified."

Skatepark users told the Chronicle that they "thoroughly enjoyed" using the equipment over the Bank Holida weekend.

Tom Saunder, 13, said, "It was enjoyed by all ages from little kids wanting to be the next pro skaters to the elderly just relaxing in the heat and watching the youth have fun. People have waited over 30 years for a skatepark in abergavenny and their certainly not holding back lots of youth turned up and spent the day basking in the sun and learning to drop into quarter pipes and flat banks."

Tom is from Abergavenny and started roller blading less than two months ago. Another fellow skatepark user Justin Line, 13, said, "This is probably the best skatepark in Gwent."