RESIDENTS say they are being plagued by teenagers smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol.

Since the police's safer neighbourhoods teams were launched in Headstone this month, the north ward's team leader, Sergeant Paul Mitchell, has been inundated with complaints about youngsters' behaviour in Rayners Mead Park, which has entrances off Imperial Drive and Park Drive.

Sergeant Mitchell said: "I went to the park the day before I met residents and searched two teens who identified themselves as students from the nearby college.

"These kids seem to be under the impression that cannabis is legal as it has been downgraded from a class-B to a class-C drug.

"This is not the case."

Nicola Treadaway, 34, who lives in Park Drive said she was worried about the state of the park.

She said: "The park is very run down.

"It is attracting youngsters as it is overgrown and hidden so they can't be seen.

"Residents have seen them handing over money and smoking drugs."

Nicola, a part-time bank manager, fears it is unsafe for her daughter and other children to play in the park unsupervised. "There are seven young children living along this road and we are dubious to let them play in the park," she said.

"The bushes are overgrown and we don't know what could be in there.

"What if they found needles?

"A lot of the older people used the park as a way to get to the church but now they are scared to walk through it."

The private Regent College in Imperial Drive said it was shocked when told that its students had been caught in the park.

Principle Selva Pankaj said: "I am very disturbed by all of this.

"Only sixth formers are allowed off the premises during school time.

"We will fully support the police and are happy to meet with them to solve the problem.

"We have never come across any problems like this before."

Sergeant Mitchell is to launch a drugs awareness campaign in the area and said high visibility policing was the next step.

John Mitchell, chairman of Headstone Residents' Association, said: "We have a lot of problems like this in Cambridge Road car park as well, with drunken kids shouting and screaming, and criminal damage.

"These parks are no go areas after dark."