Lister Park is a wonderful amenity. It has been splendidly and imaginatively restored to turn it into a park this city can be proud of, with something for everyone. Whether you want to stroll along the avenues and footpaths, enjoy the fun of the playground, go boating on the lake, admire works of art in Cartwright Hall or play a game of bowls, you should be able to do so without worrying about vandalism or intimidation.

Unfortunately, though, a facility created to make the park even more accessible seems to have backfired. The 30 designated parking spaces within it are apparently being used for the wrong reasons by the wrong sort of people.

The Friends of Lister Park (FLiP) are so concerned that they today presented the Council with a petition signed by 400 park users and local residents drawing attention to intimidation and alleged drugs dealing by groups of young men using the car park. And it doesn't stop there. There is wanton damage too. Last week one of the bowling greens was ploughed up by a young driver doing hand-brake turns on the turf.

FLiP stresses that it doesn't want parking banned entirely within the park but would like to see access restricted to the vehicles of the elderly and disabled. That sounds a reasonable compromise. However, it could be difficult to police.

Unless the authorities can find a way of making this sort of restriction work or the young men concerned decide to respect the rights of other park users, there is a danger that the only way to solve the problem might be to stop all parking inside the park.