RESURFACED footpath, refurbished gates and a new boundary fence are among £45,000 worth of improvements to be carried out at Faringdon Road Park this year.

The park, in central Swindon, has acquired a bad reputation in recent years because of muggings and homophobic attacks.

This led to the formation a year ago of the Park Improvement Working Party - made up of councillors and local people.

The group was given initial council funding of £45,000, which it used to remove trees and shrubs to make the park more visible and to install six vandal-proof benches.

Last month Swindon Council agreed to provide another year's funding of £45,000 and the group hopes to secure more money next year.

In conjunction with Swindon Services it plans to resurface the footpath around the park to make it safer for wheelchair users and prams.

It also plans to further improve the park's security and appearance with new gates and fences.

Councillor John Taylor (Central, Lab) said: "We've been cutting back shrubbery and weeds to remove blind spots where muggers could loiter.

"The immediate benefit from that is there are far more people enjoying walking around the park and feeling safe in doing so.

"It was the first public park in Swindon and we are setting out to recreate a Victorian park and improve the environment for users.

"Over many years the park saw a number of muggings and homophobic attacks which meant it was at risk of becoming a 'no-go' area.

"It is in order to tackle that perception and to return the park to the people that we have formed this working party."

Councillor Taylor said that the scheme to "re-claim" Faringdon Park is already proving a success.

He said: "There are certainly significantly more people using it and they feel much safer.

There's still work to be done because changing attitudes to a public space will only happen slowly."