Just a week after opening, Stoke Newington’s Clissold Park’s skate park has already been vandalised with graffiti.

Name tags have been scribbled all over the “wheels park,” which is part of the �9m National Lottery-funded park revamp.

Secretary of Clissold Park Users’ Group, John Hudson, said: “I’m saddened that this has happened.

“The park is for everyone and if people deface or damage it, it’s to everyone’s loss.

“I will work and hope everyone else will, to discourage and prevent it in future – you want to make sure people intervene if kids are doing stupid things.”

Studies show people tend to feel less safe in places vandalised by graffiti, as it has a major impact on their perception of crime levels.

“There’s no proof of a link between vandalism and security,” said Mr Hudson.

“It goes on in the day as well as at night,” he added.

“There’s no simple answer - you don’t want to turn them into high security areas, but you do want to protect what’s in there.”

On Sunday a teenager was overheard telling a five-year old boy not to draw on the slopes with a pen his dad had given to him.

“You can’t graffiti the park it’s bad, it makes it look nasty,” he told the young child.

“I don’t really mind about the graffiti but when you’re trying to skate the colours are really off-putting,” he explained.

“You can’t really see properly when you try and do tricks and you skid on silver paint.”

Hackney Council’s environmental enforcement team investigate graffiti within 48 hours and aim to remove non-offensive graffiti within two weeks, while offensive graffiti is removed within a day.

The special skating surface at the wheels park will then have to be re-painted.

Hackney Council cabinet member for community services, Cllr Jonathan McShane said that park rangers will patrol the area more often to deter would be vandals.

“The skate park is proving really popular with hundreds of skaters using it in the first week, so it’s a real shame that some people have decided to vandalise this fantastic park,” he added.

Graffiti vandals face prosecution or a �100 fixed penalty notice, to report an offence call 020 8356 3000 or go to www.hackney.gov.uk