YOUNG people in Fareham have had the opportunity to put their developing art skills to the test.

More than 40 teenagers took part in the community art project at Wicor skatepark in Portchester and helped decorate parts of the park assisted by local artists and police officers.

The idea behind the scheme was to get more young people taking responsibility for their community and respecting the neighbourhood.

Fareham Borough Council's executive member for service performance and improvement and chairman of the community safety partnership, Trevor Cartwright, said: "I am impressed at how well the young people worked on this exciting initiative.

"This type of project has run in other areas where it has reduced the amount of illegal graffiti, increased respect and developed a sense of ownership of the site, and we hope it will have an equally successful effect in Portchester."

After the work was completed, local residents were invited to visit the project and meet the young people who worked on it.

Hampshire Police Authority recently turned down a grant request for a similar scheme in Bridgemary, Gosport, claiming that it could promote further antisocial behaviour.