A new council warden will patrol a city centre park blighted by crime and anti-social behaviour.

Sadie Williams, 36, has been appointed parks officer for the Dane John, which has been the scene of many unsavoury incidents in recent years.

She will also be the eyes and the ears of the authority in the Westgate Gardens.

But the former Kent County Council youth worker and mum-of-two will not have any enforcement powers.

Instead she will be able to summon enforcement officers or police on the radio if the need arises.

Mrs Williams, who lives in Herne Bay, says she is “chuffed to bits” to have landed the job and is already getting to know regular users of the parks and chatting to visitors.

“I went to school at Barton Court in Canterbury and have known the parks since I was a child, “ she said.

“They are wonderful places and it’s a dream job because I have a passion for the ‘love where you live’ campaign. My job is to make them safe and clean for local people and visitors.”

Mrs Williams says one of her aims is to encourage more involvement from the community, especially in the Dane John Gardens.

“The Westgate Gardens are already very well supported by its friends’ group and the Kent Stour Countryside Partnership project officer Anna Bell.

“But I would like to help establish a similar friends’ group for the Dane John.”

Some homeless people regularly use the gardens and Mrs Williams say she plans to engage with them, as well as the charity Catching Lives.

The job is a Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm role, although Mrs Williams will also work for a few hours some weekends.

She will not be in uniform but will wear a city council lanyard identifying herself.