GLOUCESTER Park's new skate park has been officially opened to the public in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Deputy Mayor of Basildon.

The site has undergone a full-scale revamp with a brand new skate park built, to improve the quality of equipment and build a skate park to last for years to come.

The old skate park was installed approximately 17 years ago, was ageing, and required major repairs and maintenance to ensure that it remained up to standard.

The new skate park is designed to cater for all types of rider and will include many different features, including multiple quarter pipes, four sets of stairs and a multitude of other exciting and varied equipment.

Chairman of the Leisure and Environment Committee, Cllr Craig Rimmer, said: "This is a really exciting project that will make the park an even better and more exciting place to visit."

"The new state-of-the-art concrete structure will require far less maintenance than the metal and tarmac structure it replaced, and there will be a much lower risk of it being damaged. Thus protecting its future for years and years to come.

"We know how important facilities like these ones are for young people, and the new skate park will stand as a real community hub for our borough's adventurous residents."

Deputy Mayor Cllr Luke MacKenzie, added: "It was a real privilege to officially open the new Gloucester Park skate park earlier today. Having been there for even a short while, I could already see how well utilised it is, and how grateful the young people of our borough are to have this new skate park of such a high quality."