TWO young skateboarding enthusiasts are urging council chiefs to improve lighting facilities at a Poulton park after they found themselves in trouble with the police for skating in the town centre.

Brothers Ben, 15, and Zak Lynden, 12, from Tithebarn Street in the town, were put in a police van after they were found skating in the Teanlowe Centre car park on December 7.

The pair said they told police they avoid the skateboard zone in Poulton Park off Vicarage Road at night because of a lack of lighting, but received a stern telling-off for skating in a public area.

Ben and Zak, both pupils of Hodgson High School, have now written a letter of protest to Wyre Borough Council.

And they have set the wheels in motion for a petition campaign in a bid to force officials to review the situation.

The skatepark, which was opened last year, has promoted skateboarding among youths in the area and has quickly become a popular daytime venue.

But the lack of lighting at night has forced the skaters to look for other locations in which to skate, including St Chad's churchyard, Market Square and the Teanlowe car park.

Zak said: "We know that skateboarders are causing danger to people and that we are getting in trouble with the police.

"But if the council put proper lighting on the park for us we wouldn't need to go anywhere else. The kids in Poulton just want to be off the streets and back on the skatepark where we belong."

Local skateboarding champion Chris "Woody" Woods, 38, of Woody's Skateshop, Hardhorn Road in the town defended the skaters.

He said: "Skateboarding is an extreme sport and safety cannot be addressed half-heartedly with a few ramps and no lighting.

"It's only a matter of time before somebody breaks an arm, leg, a back or, even worse, kills themselves.

"The council are literally taking kids lives into their hands by allowing the skatepark to be open without adequate lighting.

"And the police are encouraging trouble by insisting on the skaters being confined to a pitch black park and following them around all night long.

"Each and every one of these kids are fanatical about skating and it's ridiculous that the authorities are branding them as delinquents because their choice of sport is not something conventional like football."

A Wyre Borough Council spokesman said: "Public safety is a huge concern for the council.

"And the Wyre Community Safety Partnership has already identified Poulton's skatepark as an area of concern.

"We will be looking at ways of installing lighting equipment sufficient for the dark winter months in the New Year.

"But until then, we can understand the police action support their decision to monitor skaters in the town centre."