A crime-hit park is to be permanently locked overnight at weekends to keep troublemakers out.

City council bosses have taken the decision to shut the five main gates to Dane John Gardens in Canterbury between 10pm and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays following a successful trial.

Now, a council report has proposed introducing a system of automatically-locking gates at the historic park, which could pave the way for the closure to be extended all week.

“An automated solution of opening and closing the gates would reduce costs and potentially make it financially viable to close the gates seven days a week,” wrote officers.

The authority papers say if the entrances were to be attended to manually, £4,200 would be spent every year locking and unlocking the entrances to the park.

A further £75,000 would be sourced to fabricate and install five “heritage-style gates” at the entrances.

Dane John Gardens, which is lined with dozens of terraced homes, has a reputation for antisocial behaviour.

A KentOnline investigation last year revealed 100 crimes had been committed in the beauty spot between 2020 and 2021, including 12 rapes or sexual assaults against women.

And residents have long complained of being disturbed by noise, vandalism and drug-use, especially at weekends as clubbers leave late-night premises.

But responding to a council survey about life since the trial was introduced to lock the gates, neighbours say the situation has greatly improved.

"It has been amazing,” said one Dane John Gardens resident.

“No one was urinating on buildings, no screams or arguments between drunk people, simply - quality life in Canterbury."

At a cabinet meeting on March 17, Cllr Dave Wilson suggested an electronic system would be a more modern way of securing the green space in the small hours.

“Having someone to come in now and again to lock and unlock the gates seems like an old-fashioned way of doing things,” said the Labour representative.

“I don’t know how we’d go about sorting it out, and the cost of it.

“But we could have electric gates on there that automatically open and automatically close.”

"No one was urinating on buildings, no screams or arguments between drunk people..."

Concerns were raised that such equipment could be vandalised and there were also questions about the cost of maintenance.

Councillors voted unanimously to recommend the trial of closing the gates overnight at weekends be made permanent, leaving the door open to the possibility of them being shut automatically every night.

A request is now being made to KCC to make the experimental traffic order permanent.