GRASS in a Darlington park is being damaged by vehicles belonging to council workers, according to a local resident.

Darlington Borough Council has said it will use a more appropriate vehicles when maintaining North Park in future.

However, local resident Hilary Allen has said that over the past few years North Park has been seriously neglected by the authority.

Miss Allen said that the park was one of the reasons she moved to the area.

But since the council’s Street Scene department was set up in 2006, she believes there has been a decline in the way in which the park has been looked after.

Miss Allen said: “This has been going on for the past four years.

“It’s their vehicles that they use when they come and empty the rubbish and dog poo bins.

“These vehicles are coming and doing tremendous damage.

“It’s going to take years to recover.

“There’s no point them coming in and reseeding it if the same thing is just going to happen again.”

Miss Allen has suggested by David Roberts david.roberts@dst.co.uk smaller wheelbase vehicles or handcarts could be used to collect the rubbish.

She has also said more needs to be done in the park to prevent youths on motorbikes and quads getting in and messing up the area.

A council spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the issue of the vehicles being used on the grass and will be addressing this directly with the team who maintain the area to ensure a more appropriate vehicle is used in future.

“North Park is a valued park and green space and substantial maintenance is undertaken on a regular basis to ensure it remains an enjoyable and clean space for all to enjoy.

“A litter pick is completed four times a week and all bins are emptied at least twice a week; we also continue to work closely with the Friends of North Park to ensure that any maintenance issues are addressed promptly.

“We will now contact Miss Allen directly to offer to meet with her on-site to discuss her individual concerns.”