Aberystwyth maze locks out naked revellers

The labyrinth has been likened to a military memorial in the Somme by some residents unimpressed by the attraction

A maze in Aberystwyth is to be locked at night after naked revellers were caught using it.

A resident wrote to the council to complain about people he believed to be drunk university students running around the visitor attraction naked or semi-naked swearing and making noise.

Police confirmed they had been called to the maze on Queen's Road on 23 October and had moved a group on.

Town councillors have now agreed to lock the maze at night.

The resident described how the group of around 50 young people had spent about 30 minutes in the labyrinth engaged in drunken antics, said councillor Ceredig Davies.

He suspected they were students from Aberystwyth University.

The noise was loud enough to wake the resident's children, prompting him to call the police.

'Horrendous'

Mr Davies said: "As a university town, we do experience an element of young people enjoying themselves in high spirits.

"The council has taken on board the fact that for security reasons we need to put a lock on the gate.

"That has either happened or will do soon. It will be locked after dark in future."

A police spokesman said: "Dyfed-Powys Police received a report at approximately 11.55pm on October 23 of a group of people engaging in anti-social behaviour at the park close to North Road, Aberystwyth.

"Police officers attended and instructed the group to remove litter they had left and gave suitable words of advice before instructing them to leave."

The council-run £5,000 labyrinth, which opened in the summer on a disused bowling green, received a mixed response from local people, with some calling it "horrendous" and a waste of taxpayers' money.

The labyrinth is made of 720 separate waist-high wooden posts linked by a mile of rope threaded between them.

It has previously been likened to a World War 1 military memorial at the Somme.