A PUZZLED resident has told the council to “put the skatepark back” after it was removed “without warning”.

The skatepark in Hollingdean, which was hugely popular with youngsters, was removed without prior warning.

Pictures from the scene show the empty space where it once stood, and reveal that rusty steel bolts have been left behind.

Sue Davis, of Stephens Road, Hollingdean, said: “Put back the skatepark.

“It’s not fair to remove it without notifying us.

Dismantling

“All of a sudden there were blokes up there dismantling it and taking it away in a great big skip.”

The skatepark was removed last week.

The boards and ramps were loaded into a giant skip over the course of three days.

The council says it warned the Friends of Hollingdean Park and ward councillors, adding that action needed to be taken quickly because it was dangerous and could have led to skateboarders injuring themselves..

But Ms Davis argues the skatepark could have been repaired and removing it has left youngsters with nothing to do and made the area “dangerous”.

She said : “They have taken away that little skatepark from the kids and now they have nowhere to go.

“Every time surveyors come up to look at the park it’s during school time so there’s no schoolchildren there, which gives the wrongful impression that it is not popular.

“But the skatepark is used constantly, especially during the holidays, so why take it away?

“There were even youngsters there on Christmas Day making the most of it.”

“There are still bolts which have been left there on the ground. Anyone could easily trip over them and injure themselves.”

Ms Davis also said that branches and twigs were put into plastic bags, put into the skip, then dumped back out onto the empty space.

Concerns

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove Council said: “The ramps were removed for safety reasons because of concerns about the condition of the surface, which was damaged and missing in sections.

“Action needed to be taken quickly and we let the Friends of Hollingdean Park and ward councillors know about the work taking place.

“We will look into concerns from residents regarding items left behind during the process, and seek to address these matters as soon as possible.”