IRRESPONSIBLE vandals who leave broken-necked bottles buried in the grass at Alton's Public Gardens are laying themselves open to serious charges, not least of causing grievous bodily harm.

The warning echoes fears that decapitated bottles could cause untold damage to children or dogs playing on the grass, or to Alton Town Council staff as they work to keep the gardens looking good for the public.

Recent incidents have caused local councillors to rethink their policy for the gardens, with a view to possibly locking the gates at dusk, which is when most vandalism seems to occur.

In reporting to last week's recreation committee meeting, town clerk Steven Parkinson, expressed concern that the level of vandalism had increased in the Public Gardens from the beginning of March and that this was a pattern which looked set to continue throughout the summer.

Much of it, he said, appeared to be alcohol related.

Documented vandalism had included broken railings, bolts being loosened on the children's swings, shrubs uprooted, bushes and plants trashed, signs sprayed, fencing cut and broken, and a constant round of broken glass.

Dog fouling was also on the increase and occurred mainly in the evening, although it was hoped that the increased fine of £50 and the district council's determination to "name and shame" offenders, would help to improve this situation.

Alarmed at the report, councillors were further disturbed by Steve Parkinson's view that there was an emerging difference between the council's intended role for the gardens and the public's perception of how it should be used.

"This is characterised by the fact that almost every person in Alton seems to refer to the Public Gardens as the 'town park'," he said.

In particular, East Hampshire District Council had pointed out that feedback from the citizenship programme in schools had indicated that young people believed they were banned from the gardens and that there were no facilities in the town for them.

Traditionally kept as an ornamental garden, the Public Gardens contain a wide variety of trees and plants, many of which are quite rare and are not seen anywhere else in the area.

According to Mr Parkinson, the care and maintenance of the gardens takes more effort and costs more than maintaining a park, the grass is cut more regularly, bedding plants are carefully tended and litter cleared more frequently.

"Much of this effort may be unappreciated if all that is required is a park, while the staff on duty spend almost as much time clearing up as they do tending the gardens," said Mr Parkinson.

He suggested that, in the spirit of best value, it was time for the council to review the way it maintains the Public Gardens and to ask the public for their views on how it should be used.

It was agreed therefore to go out to public consultation, by way of the Altonian magazine, in a bid to ensure that the service meets current public requirements.

pAnyone with views on how Alton's Public Gardens should be run in the future is asked to write to Steven Parkinson at Alton Town Hall.