ANYONE with a flat acre of land in Okehampton that is temporarily vacant is being called on to help a group of local youngsters desperate for a sports facility.

Teenagers on the search for an area where they can take part in BMX and mountain biking, skateboarding and in-line skating have received full support from Okehampton Town Council but have had difficulty finding a piece of land that is not earmarked for development.

At a presentation last week to the town council, the youngsters, who have put together a petition, explained that their campaign for a recreational area had been going on for several years.

Some BMX fans took the initiative by creating their own track in the town's Old Park recently but were warned off after causing damage to the woodland.

'Sports such as skateboarding, BMX-ing and in-line skating are popular yet there is no facility in Okehampton for them,'said James Harrison. 'Preferably, we would want a flat area of about one acre where we can construct mounds and ramps. If someone had a piece of land we could use for a short time, at the end of that time we could level it off again.'

James, who runs S J Sports in Okehampton, said a lot of support had been given by local businesses to the idea and Meldon Quarry had offered to help out with raw materials.

Youth worker Carol Jones said it was all very well being surrounded by Dartmoor and fields but local people could not do anything with it in terms of recreation and sport.

'The number of young people in Okehampton is growing but the facilities are getting less and less,' she said. 'What we need is more support to improve the situation.'

She said the police had supported the young people in getting a sports area so too had the health authority.

'If we can work together with the town council perhaps we can come up with something — nobody can operate a miracle but equally we cannot do nothing.'

A vacant piece of land in North Road owned by West Devon Council has been suggested but it is believed it is a flood plane and the Environment Agency would not allow it.

The town council voted unanimously to write to the borough council, forwarding the petition and asking for their views and backing.