FED-UP residents have welcomed plans for a booze ban in a picturesque public gardens in Southend.

Gangs of drunken youths prompted a petition calling for an alcohol control zone in Southchurch Hall Gardens.

Residents said the peace of their evenings is constantly ruined by youths, who climb over locked gates and drink alcohol in the area.

Michelle Cowell, 38, from Southchurch Hall Close, who has lived in the area for seven years, said: “You get a lot of people hanging around.

“You can hear and see them drinking, and they do make a lot of noise.

“It has been getting worse and worse, and I think it came to a head in the summer, which is why people did the petition.”

David Albano, 49, who has lived in the area all his life, added: “It has been getting worse.

“You can see all the cans and bottles from their drinking and it really makes the place look messy. It probably deters people from going there.

“No one really does anything about it because they don’t want the hassle.

“Something like the ban would be really good.”

The petition now has more than 460 signatures and will be discussed by Southend Council on Thursday.

Kursaal ward councillor Louise Burdett said: “I am very supportive of this petition because the garden is lovely and there are a lot of families who use it. They should not be blighted by alcohol misuse.”