Dogging at Wirral beauty spot is putting people off their fish and chips

An angry Wirral resident says he is boycotting two local beauty spots because witnessing public masturbation and people “bent over car bonnets” put him off his fish and chips.

Explaining that dozens of people could be seen regularly taking part in dogging activities, the resident, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s going on 24 hours a day. We used to take the dogs there but we’ve had to stop. People on car bonnets, bent over, going off with each other, using their apps and what not. Flashing their lights at each other.

“We’ve been down there eating our fish and chips and there are people masturbating at their windows. You get threats and all sorts.”

He said the dogging behaviour was taking place at the ‘Gunsite’ car park at North Wirral Coastal Park in Leasowe and Bayview Drive car park in New Brighton

The resident, who has lived in the Wirral area all his life, said the problem has been ongoing for “years and years”, and that he stopped visiting the sites with his family because of it.

He said he’s spoken to plenty of other residents who are in agreement it’s a “widespread” problem, adding: “It’s disgusting. It shouldn’t be allowed to happen, especially in the day time with people on the beach and children around. Something needs to be done about it.

“We won’t take the children down there anymore. On any given day, there will be dozens and dozens and dozens of them.”

A local source said the problem had been ongoing for “as long as I can remember”, while another official said the sites have been advertised on dogging websites for a “number of years”.

Merseyside Police Inspector Paul Harrison said he was aware of a recent incident on Bayview Drive, which overlooks the beach and Irish Sea – reported to the force on February 22.

He said: “In order to deter this activity we have enlisted the support of our partners including the local council as well as Armistead.

“Following this, if warnings are not adhered to and this activity continues to raise concerns within the community, then we may take further action.

“We’ll continue to patrol the area and would encourage anyone who is concerned or notices any suspicious behaviour to report this to us so that we can understand the scale of this current issue and address it accordingly.”

Run by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, the Armistead Centre is an information, support and HIV prevention service for the LGBT community.

The two sites are owned by Wirral Council, and a local authority spokeswoman said: “If residents witness anti-social behaviour, we would urge them to report it to the police as soon as possible.”

By Tom Houghton – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).