COUNCILLORS and Stourbridge's MP have pledged to try to secure funding for a barrier to stop late night anti-social behaviour on a Withymoor car park

Residents say their lives have been made a misery by late night and early morning gatherings on the car park at the end of Turner's Lane where gangs have been gathering in cars.

People living nearby, whose homes back onto the car park, have reported cars wheel spinning and racing, loud music blasting out in the early hours, and drug taking.

The problem has been going on for some time but residents say it has got worse during the coronavirus lockdown - and they are now calling for a barrier to be installed on the car park to keep it closed at night to help stop the disorder once and for all.

Residents met on Saturday to discuss these issues with councillors Paul Bradley and Pete Lee, Conservative campaigner Kamran Razzaq and Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb who said afterwards: “Local residents should not have to put up with this kind of anti-social and dangerous behaviour, let alone up until the small hours of the morning.

“They have put forward a reasonable plan to discourage this activity which has been explained to me by Cllr Paul Bradley and local residents.

"A barrier, managed by local residents to ensure the car park can continue to be used legitimately would be a big step in giving residents a break from this awful behaviour.”

Cllr Bradley said: “The residents of Withymoor have had to put up with this for too long, so we are now working on a plan to secure funding for a barrier to be installed on the car park.

"We are exploring options of where the £3,000 required for the project will come from, but I am hopeful that working together we will be able to get this money and make a difference.

“I welcome Suzanne’s support of the plan, and thank her for taking the time to listen to residents’ concerns on Saturday.”