A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy has launched his own petition in a bid to see his skate park given a complete overhaul.

Owen Hughes, who attends St Mary’s Primary School, is so fed up of the state of the Booth Lane park that he has taken the matter into his own hands.

The Kitfield Avenue resident uses his scooter on the ramps every day.

But in the three years he has lived there, he has seen most of the paint chip off leaving bare metal. The boards are also coming loose and covered with graffiti.

“We treat it really well but there are others that wreck it,” said Owen.

“It makes me feel sad as they make it unstable. Most of us aren’t allowed to go anywhere else as our parents want us to stay close.”

Owen’s started his petition on July 25 appealing for a ‘clean, neat, safe environment to play in’.

When the Guardian met him on July 27, the youngster already had more than 100 signatures.

His mum Kate said: “We think it’s great that he’s doing something like this at his age.

“It started when he came home one day all fed up saying the ramps are falling apart. All the kids want to go there but it brings them down when they see it like this.”

Youngsters have even created a new ‘ramp’ out of soil because they are so desperate for new facilities.

Mum-of-four Kate said: “As you’re coming into Middlewich from Sandbach the Booth Lane skate park is one of the first things you see and looking at it, it’s in total dismay.”

Maxine Wrench, a member of Middlewich Clean Team, added: “If only money could be appropriately allocated and the council would get its act together.

“I did attend some meetings earlier in the year at the council offices with regard to developing either existing or a new play area with skateboard facilities but the meetings seemed to fizzle out.”