St James Residents Association chairman Tony Barratt said graffiti had been written on equipment in Victoria Park, while the windscreens of nine cars had been smashed in recent weeks.

Mr Barratt said: "We have had some hassle down in Victoria Park and it is starting to get out of hand. The last three-month dispersal order ended on January 31 and that was a great success so we are applying for another six-month one."

Under the dispersal order, the police would have the power to move on groups of people and failure to comply can result in arrests.

Steve Winder, of the Castle St James Residents' Association, said he had also recently reported racist graffiti in Victoria Park to the police Hate Crimes Unit.

He said: "The graffiti was strongly racially offensive and was written on the new picnic tables installed as well as seats and bins in the park. Once you get a bit of graffiti you will start to get a lot."

The Streetcare team has now cleared the graffiti and a dog waste bin ripped from the ground has been replaced.