'Irresponsible' teenagers smashing glass at a children's playground and skate park are putting young children at risk of injury.

Smashed bottles were discovered last week on the play equipment at Castle Park in Whitehaven.

It comes after shattered glass was also found on Kie Park in Hensingham, which prompted an emotional plea for people to respect it.

Mike Starkie, mayor of Copeland, said: “Smashing glass in an area like this, and leaving it where children could come across it, is completely irresponsible.

"We try to keep our play areas safe but we cannot monitor them 24-hours a day, and litter like this is often left at night.

“I’d like to remind people that Whitehaven town centre has a Public Space Protection Order in place - no one should be drinking in there, and we liaise with the police to enforce this.

“Please help us keep children’s play areas safe and pleasant for our youngsters to enjoy.”

Chris Hayes, mayor of Whitehaven, who lives near Castle Park, said: "That park is used every day by little toddlers.

"From half eight at night, it's full of teenagers. I stopped a young lad throwing a bottle and said, 'what do you think you're doing?'

"He said, 'well nobody lives here'. It's a children's play area. There's glass everywhere. It's every day now.

"Budweiser bottles at 16 years old - where are they getting them from? We just want the kids to start respecting where they are."

Coun Hayes said empty aerosol containers, which teenagers have been inhaling, had also been found in the park.

"The park is full of them by the band stand," he said. "There must have been 20 of them the other day.

"It's scary. I don't know what the answer is."

Tracey Nicholson, who helped create Kie Park in memory of her 15-year-old son Kieran Goulding, believes that coming out of lockdown has increased youth anti-social behaviour.

She said: "It's everywhere at the minute. Because we've had lockdown, I think they're just so sick of being inside, they're just rebelling a bit too much.

"When you get broken glass on a skate park, it just makes it unusable. You don't know until you get to the bottom of the bowl that it's there.

"We get people taking three or four year olds who have just learned to skate and the last thing you want is them to fall on glass in there."

A post on the Kie Park Facebook page said: "I know the past 18 months have messed all heads and now you can go out or your kids can, I'd hope one thing that people can hold is respect.

"I don't want Kie Park to be about Kieran but if you need to explain in order to reach them from throwing bottles etc on the park then please do.

"As a parent please keep an eye and teach them morals, respect and how hard it is to get things."