FURIOUS parish councillors have hit out at delays surrounding two long-awaited projects that aim to cut teenage crime in a Waterside village.

A £48,000 skateboard park at Marchwood is weeks behind schedule - and talks about a new youth centre are likely to drag on for months.

A large number of teenagers turned up at this week's parish council meeting to protest at the hold-ups.

Youth worker Derek Hawkins said: "The skate park is nowhere near completion and the youth centre is still some time away. It would be nice if young people could have some answers."

Deputy parish clerk Jane Kitcher said: "I've been given the runaround.

"I'm now told the skate park won't be ready until next month. The builders say they've been held up by bad weather, but I'll keep chasing it."

Councillor Alan Shotter said: "A lovely new skatepark three times the size of ours was built in Hoglands Park, Southampton, in nine weeks.

"We're being taken for a ride."

Councillors also complained about delays surrounding the new youth centre, which is due to be built near the entrance to Marchwood Industrial Park.

New Forest District Council is still negotiating a new lease with the landowner.

Darryl Hindle, vice-chairman of the parish council, said: "The youth centre is a unique and exciting development that involves

various organisations working together.

"There is some funding in place, but they can't access the main money until the lease is sorted out. We need to put pressure on the district council. The proposal keeps falling off the table - and is then placed at the bottom of the pile."

Councillor Mike Saxby said: "There appears to be a lack of concern over what happens in this village."

The skateboard park was approved by the district council last June after Marchwood councillor Nick Smith said the scheme aimed to halt a "dramatic" rise in youth crime in the parish.

The facility is being built by Clever Curves, the Cambridgeshire firm that constructed a similar facility at Jones Lane, Hythe, two years ago.

A company spokesman said: "The Marchwood scheme is a good month behind schedule. We've had a few problems, including bad weather and theft of equipment from the site, but everything should be up and running by the end of next month."