A BEAUTY spot car park has been closed indefinitely after vandals turned it into their playground.

Homemade fireworks, arson attacks, joy riding and flytipping have taken place so often Bounstead Road car park, also known as Friday Woods car park, has been closed by the Army.

The anti-social behaviour has been going on for more than four months.

Yesterday oil drums were dragged across the entrance and a notice was put up with pictures of the reasons for the closure which included mounds of waste, exploded bins and a burnt out car.

The notice read: “Dear all general public.

“Bounstead Road car park is closed indefinitely by the order of Commander and Principal Training Officer Lt Col N Parker.”

One regular visitor explained how vandals had been wrecking havoc at the site for months.

He said: “They were putting fireworks in the bins.

“They were making their own and seeing what they could blow up.

“They were driving around in there and using it like a hang out. They burnt out a car.

“The bin was blown apart.

“It has been happening since November.”

Since the bins were destroyed, dog walkers using Friday Woods have had nowhere to leave dog mess bags so they were getting piled up by the smashed bins.

Flytippers have also grown wise to the lack of security at the site.

It is within a short drive of the now-restricted tip in Colchester and bag after bag of rubbish has been dumped around the car park.

A visitor explained once the commander at Colchester Garrison became aware, he decided to stop the public accessing the site.

Despite the continuing vandalism, a spokesman for Essex Police said the force had not received any reports about problems in the car park.

They added there were no on-going investigations.

The Ministry of Defence was asked for a comment about the problems in the car park, any investigations and what action was being taken.

No response was received at the time of going to press.

It is not clear at this stage how long the car park will be closed for.

Another regualr user claimed the site had become a dogging hotspot.