A LONG-RUNNING dispute about trouble spot bus shelters has split opinion among villagers.

For about three years, residents of Hart Village, near Hartlepool, have been debating how to deter youngsters hanging around its two shelters.

Among the options considered was removal of the bus stops, demolition of shelters, removal of the seats, or replacing the shelters with new vandal-proof versions.

The nature of the issue is underlined by two competing petitions circulating in the village, which also illustrate the dilemma facing decision-makers.

Residents say the youngsters' behaviour is intimidating. They sometimes vandalise property and disturb people living near the shelters.

While Hartlepool Borough Council is due to consider a petition asking for the shelters to be left alone, Hart Village Parish Council is due to discuss a protest from villagers asking for the complete opposite.

The two factions seem equally determined to have their way and are about equal in number.

A heated debate is expected at a parish council meeting on Monday.

One elderly woman who relies on the hourly bus service to go shopping and attend hospital, Ethel Sandles, 78, of Palace Row, said: "I can't get around except by bus. I have to go to the hospital regularly and it's my lifeline. I have to have somewhere to sit, because I can't stand for long.

"But it's not only me, the children who go to Mary Magdalene School will end up standing in the rain and cold if they knock down the shelters."

Parish council chairman David Wall, said: "This has been going on for a few years and all the permutations have been considered. The parish council has changed its policy, but we could yet be swayed again at the meeting.

"Our thinking was that removal of the seats would make it too inconvenient for youngsters to hang around. Opinion seems divided.''

Ian Parker, of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: "The issue is clearly a very sensitive one and there are strong views on both sides."

The borough council had agreed to demolish the shelters, but may consult villagers further, or move the shelters.

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