YOUTHS who gathered on Yate Common at the weekend have been strongly criticised for leaving litter and broken glass on the cycleway and in the play area.

Teenagers assembled at the site on Saturday night and, according to one resident, did not leave until the early hours of Sunday morning.

The resident, who did not want to be named, said: "I cleared up the rubbish the best I could and brought back all the bottles that were intact. It really needed a proper cleaner down there. There were 35 bags of rubbish, and broken glass was left everywhere, including the play area. It's not just the rubbish that's a problem, it is the underage drinking.

"I went to Yate Town Council and they said that a similar thing happened in Frampton Cotterell but they left their rubbish by a litter bin."

Sgt Andy McIlrath said: "We are aware that youths are gathering on Yate Common and the beat manager has been paying extra attention to that area. We generally find that most of the youths are behaving themselves. Unfortunately one or two are letting the others down.

"We only receive a few calls but have been made aware that further incidents are occurring that are unreported. If people have concerns about the activities of youths they should report it to the police."