BEECHWOOD Park lovers are urging the council to keep locking the gates at night after the football area was trashed recently.

Rangers were greeted with 13 empty vodka bottles, rubbish and glass smashed across a pathway when they arrived at the park last weekend.

Now, a volunteer group working to regenerate the park is calling on the council to help protect the area.

Speaking about the incident; chairman of a group of volunteers working to regenerate the park, Kevin O'Shea said: “It looked like there had been some sort of drinking binge. The broken glass could have caused injury if someone had fallen there."

“If there had not been a ranger on site this litter would have just stayed there until someone was allocated to clean it up.”

Under budget proposals put forward for 2015/16, the council wants to save £90,000 from its parks budget by measures including leaving the gates open and reducing the number of rangers and inspections.

In its own assessment, the council said this could increase the amounts of litter and vermin in parks and make people feel unsafe because of the lack of visible council presence. They said in a report that a previous attempt to cut the budget for weeding and planting was reversed after complaints over poor standards.

And Mr O’Shea believes if the proposals are voted through the park could become a magnet for teen drinking and antisocial behaviour.

He said: “I realise that savings are being forced upon the council by the budget reduction but we have to maintain areas of heritage and natural beauty before they fall into total chaos.

The Beechwood Park Group has written to the council urging them to protect the parks budget for safety and security, particularly in summer when it is used most.

Greg Thorley, another volunteer with the group, said: “The bowling green had a lovely flowerbed put in and I think the next day or the day after it was trashed. I’m conscious of the hard work being done and I don’t want it jeopardised because there’s not the necessary security.”

After looking at the response from a public consultation on its proposals, Newport City Council will consider its budget again next month.

A council spokeswoman said: “Since early December, Newport City Council has been consulting on more than 100 proposals as it looks to close a £10 million gap in its budget.

“Parks and recreation areas are non-statutory and cost savings have to be found if the council is to retain them for the benefit of all residents.

“The merger of the service within Streetscene, following the transfer of the other leisure services to the Trust, will result in improved integration of services. This will result in cost savings while maintaining reasonable levels of maintenance, safety and security.”