"Everytime we go there, all we see is a load of rubbish and an immense amount of damage".

These are the words of a mother-of-three from Brighton Hill, who caught four youths littering and found the floor ripped up in Brighton Hill park, off Bernstein Road.

The former youth worker, Whitney Ashead, 38, caught youths dropping pringle boxes and chocolate wrappers in the park on July 4, the official day when parks across the UK were allowed to reopen.

The 38-year-old and her partner confronted the youths outside One Stop, who apologised and returned to the park to pick up their rubbish.

Whitney told The Gazette: "It's a real shame for families who want to enjoy the park.

"I don't want to blame youths and just want to empower them.

"My three boys always want to play at the park but always find it filled with rubbish.

"My sons are a little annoyed and upset.

"They said Mummy why are teenagers doing this?"

And Whitney and her family were upset to find the park vandalised at 11am on July 26.

"We didn't see who ruined the park but it's such a shame.

"This kind of thing is not an accident.

"The park seemed new and we found it broken, with the floor ripped up," she explained.