FED-UP residents in Gourock are crying foul after a football pitch became a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

They want the full-time whistle called on yobs who have turned the pitch on Drumshantie Road into a late-night gathering point, blatantly ignoring social distancing rules and running amok.

The final straw came when large groups of teenagers went on the rampage, kicking traffic cones around the road and vandalising cars.

One resident of nearby Staffa Street, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said: "I am increasingly concerned at the rise in anti-social behaviour and other problems related to the 3G pitch.

"During the lockdown period the pitch is being accessed at all hours.

"It has frequently been left absolutely strewn with rubbish, piling up on all four sides by those using it."

The man says he and his neighbours cannot get any peace because of the noise of cars driving to the pitches.

He said: "There is a continuous stream of young adults arriving in cars to access the pitches and this can go on until the early hours, with people shouting, sounding their vehicle horns when they leave and playing loud music.

"There is zero social distancing going on, as I regularly observe groups of teenagers in groups of 20 or more in the late evenings and early hours of the morning."

The man says he has complained on numerous occasions to the council, local councillors and police.

Breaking point came when he was forced to call police at 10pm on July 2.

He said: "A large group of teenagers were kicking and throwing traffic cones around Drumshantie Road.

"They were also vandalising residents' cars by hitting them with traffic cones and kicking the vehicles.

"The police attended and informed me that they had received several calls in addition to my own."

He says access to the pitch must be restricted to stop the misery being inflicted on people living in the area, by closing off the access 'crawl holes' at night.

The man told the Tele: "This would have a massive impact on reducing the anti-social behaviour myself and my neighbours are experiencing every day.

"It appears to me the management of Inverclyde Leisure are either not aware or are ignoring the anti-social behaviour being carried out.

"They should be held to account to ensure they manage their sites appropriately."

Sergeant Jason Lodsgon of Greenock police said: "In relation to the incident on July 2, police responded to calls regarding a group of youths who had been allegedly damaging cars on Staffa Street and George Road area of Gourock.

"The group was traced whereby one male was taken home.

"Officers failed to identify any damaged cars at that time, however have since had two reports of vehicles being damaged on Henderson Terrace and Darroch Drive in Gourock and this will be investigated."

Sergeant Logsdon confirmed police had received complaints about youths accessing the pitch and congregating in a similar way in other areas of the town.

He said: "Police have had pockets of complaints regarding groups of youths accessing the pitch on Drumshantie Road to congregate over the years, along with George Road Pavilion, the old bomb shelters, Hilltop, Darroch Park and Tower Hill.

"All these areas are targeted as part of our weekly multi-agency action plan to prevent disorder from large groups of youths gathering at various locations in Inverclyde. "

Leisure bosses say they were aware of the complaints and are responding.

A spokesman said: "Inverclyde Leisure are aware of a recent complaint received from a resident near Drumshantie Road pitch.

"We will monitor this situation and carry out more frequent checks on the park.

"We have also contacted the community wardens to assist with inspections to assist with any potential anti-social behaviour."

A spokesman for Inverclyde Council, who own the pitch, said: “Our public protection team, which includes community wardens and anti-social behaviour officers, have been made aware of the complaint about alleged anti-social behaviour at the Drumshantie Road pitch and we’re also in contact with our partners at Inverclyde Leisure and Police Scotland about the matter.”