Lakeside Drive Reserve plagued by druggies, hoons

Young footballers at a Roxburgh Park reserve are training on ovals littered with syringes, as troublemakers openly use drugs, dump bongs and hoon. Now club officials are pleading for help.

Cr Joseph Haweil with Tracey Winmar, Sharon Luke and Craig Smith in the carpark of Lakeside Drive Reserve, where hooning is out of control. Picture: Rob Leeson.

Junior footballers as young as seven are having to train on ovals littered with used syringes, a Roxburgh Park football member says.

Roxburgh Park Football Club’s Trevor Gladman said people were often openly doing drugs and leaving behind used syringes and homemade bongs at Lakeside Drive Reserve.

The reserve, which also saw a lot of hooning, is the club’s home ground with teams ranging from under-9s to open age seniors, as well as Auskick training there.

“At all times of the day and night we have people down there either dealing drugs, doing drugs or driving like complete maniacs,” Mr Gladman said.

“There is always … drug paraphernalia, whether it is the bags … syringes … homemade bongs left sitting on the ground or on the oval.

“We are fearful of what could happen.”

A used bong is discarded in the carpark. Picture: Andy Brownbill

The club is asking the Hume Council to install lockable gates in the parking area to keep the hoons and drug users away.

“They all sit in their cars to do what they do and then they all drive though like idiots,” Mr Gladman said.

“When we have kids rolling up to train … how someone (hasn’t) been hit by a car through the carpark is beyond me.

“(We are asking for a) for a gate to be put on the car park so people can’t drive through.”

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Hume councillor Joseph Haweil said he was deeply concerned about reports of anti-social behaviour.

“Residents deserve to use the city’s sporting and community facilities without the fear of threatening behaviour from a small number of selfish junkies,” Cr Haweil said.

“The installation of a lockable gate will prevent illegal behaviour and ensure peace of mind for facility users.”

Hume Council director corporate services, Daryl Whitfort said they were investigating reports of ongoing anti-social behaviour at the site.

“[We are] giving particular consideration to the installation of lockable gates at the entrance to the oval-facing car park that stretches from the ground pavilion to the area adjacent to Isparta Mews,” Mr Whitfort said.”

Hume CIU Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Scott Williams said police were aware of the issue and had increased patrols in the area.