A bench blighted by street drinkers has been removed at the request of residents.

Neighbours complained about drunken rowdy behaviour around the bench in the memorial garden in West Lane, Sittingbourne.

Cllr Alan Horton, cabinet member for safer families and communities at Swale council, said: “Residents were sick of the noise, mess and disruptive behaviour of a small number of people who thought this was a suitable place to meet up and drink.

“The police had tried to get them to improve their behaviour but they kept coming back. So we decided to remove the bench to give residents some respite from this anti-social behaviour.

“We don’t mind people having a responsible drink, especially now the summer is arriving and people want to get out and enjoy themselves, but people need to drink responsibly and think about how their behaviour impacts on others.

“If they don’t, we’ll work with our partners like the police to take action to ensure people feel safe in their homes and on the streets.”

The decision was made by the Community Safety Partnership which includes Swale council, police and other agencies.

Anyone suffering from anti-social behaviour should report it to the police by calling 101.