Chris Gee,Local Democracy Reporting Serviceand
Georgie Docker,North West
HandoutPeople taking drugs and drinking alcohol while gathering at a memorial site dedicated to a murdered 10-year-old girl have caused “great distress”, a council said.
Lauren’s Corner, in Leigh, Greater Manchester, was created in memory of Lauren Pilkington-Smith, who went missing after playing cricket in July 2005. The little girl’s body was found nearby.
Wigan Council said it had received several complaints in recent months about anti-social behaviour at the small but densely wooded area in which the memorial site is located.
The local authority said it had thinned out trees at the site to make the area “less desirable to use for illicit activity” and to “help residents feel safer”.
Local Democracy Reporting ServiceLauren’s body was found on 8 July 2005 in a wooded area by Sanderson Street, about 200 yards (183m) from her home in Twist Lane, and close to the banks of the Bridgewater Canal.
Her mum Alison Pilkington-Smith and dad Glen Smith said she was their “beautiful, lovely little girl”.
“Our world has collapsed in the last 24 hours and we can’t even begin to think what we will do without her,” they said after her body was found.
“Lauren was a tomboy who loved playing with her friends.
“Everyone around here loved her. She was football-mad and a huge Manchester United fan. She loved playing golf and riding her BMX.”
Lauren’s memorial was unveiled the following year.
Local Democracy Reporting ServiceA Wigan Council spokesman said: “Following repeated reports of anti-social behaviour and drug and alcohol use in a wooded area in Leigh, the site has been cleared to deter this activity and help residents feel safer in their community.
“With the wooded area providing secluded cover for illicit activity, this has caused great distress to passing residents and families during visits to the memorial area around Sanderson Street.
“To address the situation, the council commissioned a contractor to thin out the wooded area to expose the interior and make it less desirable to use for illicit activity.”