YOUTHS who create a disturbance on a Malvern's Three Counties Retail Park late at night could soon be thwarted, if McDonalds agrees to close its doors early.

The restaurant chain is currently discussing a request from the owners of the site to close an hour early, at 10pm, to allow retractable bollards to be raised, to prevent cars entering the site.

The bollards, which are to be installed in the New Year, are intended to prevent groups of people, who play loud music, race around the area, do wheel spins and honk their horns, from entering the car park.

McDonalds currently closes at 11pm, which means the bollards could not be raised until almost midnight, when staff have left the premises.

McDonalds' regional communications manager Jacqui Moore said: "That option is on the table and currently being discussed,"

Last Friday, Richard Ellis of site owners Insignia announced finalised plans to install retractable bollards at the site's two entrances.

Associate director Mark Grant said details had been sent to Malvern Hills District Council and the firm hoped they would be installed early in the New Year.

The installation of bollards was a condition of planning permission granted at the beginning of this year to extend the car park. Speed humps have already been installed.

David Murray, MHDC's head of development control, said the plans would be studied to ensure they complied with conditions, a process liable to take a couple of weeks.

"I can't see we're going to be too concerned about the design of them. The important thing is to get them in there," he said.

County and district councillor Tom Wells welcomed the news saying: "This has been a long and protracted affair in terms of trying to solve the nuisance caused on the car parks."

Margaret Hayes, of Goodson Road, said noise from youths in the car park was "a pain in the neck" and often went on until 4am.

Elderly residents at the Beauchamp Community at Newland have also been affected.

Carol Webber said her husband Bernard had called the police every night about the "horrendous" noise, before his death in June.

"If I'd known about it I'd never have come here," said a neighbour, the Reverend John Allen.