Bowls Greenkeeper at Beaumond Gardens speaks of disgusting behaviour he witnesses at work

A groundskeeper has spoken of the disgusting behaviour he has witnessed from the public while at work. Elliot Guthrie, bowls green keeper at Beaumond Gardens on London Road, Newark, said he receives physical and verbal abuse on a daily basis and some people are now too intimidated to walk by.

Eliot Guthrie, Groundskeeper at Beaumond Gardens

Elliot, who has worked in the grounds for ten years, said: "I'm just disgusted with it all. No one wants to walk there ­- it's not nice.

"Families walk through the area and have to experience people urinating in front of them."

Elliot has also had beer cans thrown at him and is constantly having to pick up litter from the area.

The new reports of anti-social behaviour follow the theft of a memorial bench from the gardens in April of this year.

David Guthrie, who previously kept the bowls green at Beaumond Gardens, said: "Lots of people are not going in there now because of the state of it.

"It's frustrating, nothing ever gets done. It's just pathetic. What have we got to do to get it stopped?"

Charlotte Allardice, district commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: "It's appalling to hear about the abuse experienced by a groundskeeper at Beaumond Gardens. This behaviour is inexcusable and no one should ever be subjected to this as they carry out their job.

"Since these reports, we have been working with our colleagues at Newark and Sherwood District Council to combat anti-social behaviour issues. This has resulted in a public space protection order being put in place and regular patrols, which has seen alcohol being seized and people being moved on from the grounds.

"The council is also planning to set up CCTV cameras. This is one of many joint projects we are undertaking in line with the Newark Safer Streets initiative which continues to make huge gains on how safe people feel in the area."

Beaumond Gardens, Newark

David Lloyd, district council leader, said: "I am utterly appalled and disgusted at some of the absolutely unacceptable behaviour from certain individuals within our community.

"Our grounds maintenance staff work exceptionally hard to keep our parks, gardens and open spaces in pristine condition for residents to enjoy and nobody should have to be afraid of being verbally abused while they simply go about their job.

"We want to reassure the public that we are taking instances such as this extremely seriously and as well as increased joint patrols with the police, enforcement action on those individuals involved is also imminent. We have ear-marked the area for new CCTV and have recently approved a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which covers Beamond Gardens, to combat this behaviour head on. This means ourselves and police colleagues will be able to disperse groups of individuals immediately that are engaging in, or likely to engage in anti-social behaviour.

"Finally, we would always encourage residents to report this sort of behaviour when they see it so we can put more measures in place to tackle it. Please get in touch with ourselves on 01636 650000 or contact the police on 101."

Alan Mellor, Newark Town clerk, said: "The town council is aware that there have a number of instances of anti-social behaviour aimed at the contractor who maintains the bowling greens. In addition there has been cases of criminal damage to park benches, plants and shrubs.

"The police have been made aware of these issues and a more frequent visible presence has been provided when resources are available."

"It is not acceptable that any individuals who work for or on behalf of the council are subject to verbal abuse. If anyone witnesses such behaviour I would urge them to report this to the police through the 101 number."

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