SKATEBOARDERS have hit back at claims that they cause damage and intimidate passers-by.

Last month Kent County Council staff claimed they were scared to cross the paved area outside County Hall, Maidstone, because of the skateboarders.

And last week a shopkeeper and a court manager complained about stunt bikers and skateboarders in the area around Maidstone Crown Court.

But the skateboarders deny they cause any trouble. They say they are sometimes the victims of abuse from passers-by.

One youngster said he was punched by a man on his way home from a pub. He claimed that passers-by regularly shouted abuse.

He said: "One man came and asked me for a cigarette and when I said I hadn't got one, he hit me in the head.”

Alex Pasquini, of Woodland Close, West Malling, a sixth-former at Maidstone Grammar School, said the area outside the court was ideal for flat skateboarding. He said the people who met there were causing no harm.

He said: "On the whole the people who skate here are nice. We study during the day and we come here to relax in the evening or at weekends.”

Adam King, 17, of Gallants Lane, East Farleigh, who attends Cornwallis School, Linton, said the skateboarders were well behaved.

Adam's mother, Mary, said she was happy for him to skate outside the Crown Court.

She added: "It's a safe place and they are a very sociable group. I just think we should be more creative and help them to use the area.”

Kent County Council youth worker Sharon Whiffin said the young people were being misunderstood.

She said: "A lot of the skateboarders are highly skilled and win competitions, some of them are sponsored by skate parks. It's a sport and they should be allowed to practise it if they aren't causing any trouble.”