Ref. 12519/1MALMESBURY Town Council replied to a 400-name petition organised by youngsters in support of a skateboard park only after the intervention of North Wiltshire MP James Gray.

Headed by 12-year-old Daryl Mersom, of Reeds Farm, Malmesbury, the group of four year eight students from Malmesbury School collected names for the petition during their lunch hour in January and sent it to the council.

But they heard nothing and wrote to North Wiltshire MP James Gray enclosing a copy of the petition and demanding action.

The MP sent the petition to the town council which has now responded to the youngsters.

Daryl said: "I thought it was quite rude they did not reply to me so I sent it to the local MP.

"The town council have now sent us a letter back which said there was a possibility of a skate park at Worthies Hill which would be great."

The town council has been without its clerk Edward Ferguson for almost two months and deputy clerk Sue Webb returned only this week after more than a month off work due to stress.

The petition was sent to the council about the time Mr Ferguson left and Mayor of Malmesbury Charles Vernon said he had not seen the original petition and did not know what had happened to it.

"I have searched the council offices and not found it. There is no trace of it whatsoever," he said.

"Since Edward Ferguson left I have seen most post that has come into the council and I would have seen it."

But he added: "I think what they have done is great. We often hear about the bad things that the young in the town are supposed to be doing."

The teenagers said they were fed up with the inaction to provide Malmesbury with a skateboard park and wanted to set up the petition to show young people supported such a project.

Daryl, who has been skating for a year, said: "We decided to do the petition because there is nothing to do in Malmesbury. There is a group called Native who is campaigning for a skateboard park that gave us inspiration to get a petition.

"We thought it was quite good we got so many names.

"I don't think the council are thinking about it seriously. They are not trying to find out about prices of skateboard parks or trying to raise the money."