LOOE Football Club says it has had enough of fly-tipping in its car park – and the club plans to install padlocked gates and CCTV in order to deal with the problem.

Secretary Bill Horsfield said that the club has found a sponsor to pay for the gates and that the surveillance equipment would be used to prosecute anyone caught dumping items in future.

The decision came as the club paid £200 this week to have a lorryload of fly-tipped items removed from the car park on the Barbican.

'It's got ridiculous. The car park is our responsibility and people are just abusing it,' said Mr Horsfield.

The club is run by volunteers and the cost of dealing with the mess has had to come out of club funds. Mr Horsfield said: 'This is money that should be spent on equipment. We can't allow these people to spoil the pleasure of the young people who play football.'

It is hoped that the security measures will also prevent anti-social behaviour which the club is aware of in the car park in the evenings, Mr Horsfield added.

'There are kids who go up there in their cars at night. People have been complaining about the noise. There's whisky and beer bottles left there,' he said.

'The police have said they'll put on extra patrols there, but they're stretched – it's down to us to do something about it.'

Staff working out of the nearby Royal Mail depot use the car park, said Mr Horsfield, and the club would be making arrangements to allow this to continue. 'We don't want to upset the local community and it's a shame for people who do use the car park responsibly, but it's the mindless few who are spoiling it for the rest. We don't have any alternative – this is the only way to put a stop to it.'