POLICE are being urged to speed up response times after more vandalism in Priory Park and reports of youths congregating, some armed with baseball bats.

The introduction of private security patrols in the summer had reduced problems but there was more vandalism this weekend and the issue of gangs of youths was raised at a Worcester Community Policing Board meeting.

Malvern Hills District Council's corporate director Kevin Douglas told the board: "In the last two weekends on Friday evening there have been groups of youths about 14 to 20 years old with baseball bats and other implements causing mayhem.

"The scenario is they spend a night in Malvern on Friday and go to Worcester on Saturday. The security has got to the point of saying that police response time was drastically slow."

Divisional Chief Supt Simon Adams responded by saying: "We are trying to make our officers more available.

"We are moving to put more people on duty at the scene. Certainly at 1.30am in the morning in Malvern, I would expect officers to be there to deal with it."

Seven fencing panels were removed and broken, two beyond repair, on Friday evening.

Also several replica electric gas lights were smashed, shrubs pulled up, two signs in Grange Road car park damaged, toilet windows smashed and eggs thrown at Malvern Theatres windows.

Tony Keisslinger, MHDC groundskeeper in charge of the park, said: "This was the first time anything has happened since we have really had a security patrol going round. Security has definitely helped."