Youths 'play catch with hatchet'

A hatchet which was being thrown back and forth by children, a mallet and an iron bar were seized by Belfast's park rangers in the last fortnight.

The weapons were taken in north Belfast, the city council has said.

The hatchet was "being thrown back and forth" between young people at an interface area.

Also seized was a mallet, being used to demolish a bridge in Waterworks Park and an iron bar being used to threaten someone in the same place.

All were taken from children aged between eight and 16.

Councillor Bob Stoker, chairman of the city council's parks and leisure committee, said it was an indication of the danger parks staff and visitors faced on a regular basis.

"Our staff, and others working with them, face verbal and physical abuse on a daily basis as they tackle people involved in anti-social behaviour.

"It has to stop before someone is seriously hurt," Mr Stoker said.

"Thankfully these tools were successfully taken from the young people who brought them into the parks or who knows what damage they might have done.

"People quite often complain about nothing being done to tackle anti-social behaviour, now they can see for themselves exactly what we are up against."