SKATEBOARDERS have been accused of causing carnage after they smashed their way into a former skate park.

Fed-up traders at Global Park, at Eastgates, in Colchester, have hit out after the skaters left a trail of destruction breaking windows, doors and locks at the former Empire Skatepark.

The skatepark has been broken into three times since it closed suddenly last month.

This week alone there have been two incidents, overnight between Saturday and Sunday and on Tuesday night shortly after 8.30pm.

Rob Luckman, of nearby Impact Coatings, said: “It’s heart-breaking.

“Nothing has been taken, you can see in, they’ve just been skating.

“Whoever has broken in has broken in to skate.”

He added: “I’d heard on social media people saying they wanted to go in for one last skate but whoever it is seems to have an appetite for it now.

“They are just breaking in and causing as much carnage as they can.

“This time they have smashed the front door and the windows and taken the lock off the back gate.

“Every single door has been butchered.”

Mr Luckman said he has reported the break-ins to Petchey Holdings, which owns the building.

It is unclear whether the owners have reported the incidents to Essex Police.

The Gazette has obtained CCTV images from the nearby LW Fitness, also based in Global Park, off Moorside at Eastgates, which appears to show a group of people running past the gym entrance towards the skatepark shortly after 8.30pm.

Soon after, a second group appears and follows towards the former skatepark.

In total, the footage shows up to eight people, some carrying skateboards.

Lee Watts, who runs LW Fitness, said: “I hope the police come to me and ask for these images.

“We’ve got CCTV to protect the gym but if I can help protect other businesses as well, I will definitely do so.”