A SKATEBOARD park has been saved from the scrapheap after users were promised that bulldozers would not be sent in.

Boarders and BMX riders rode to the rescue after the park in Byron Recreation Ground, Wealdstone was closed last month and earmarked for demolition. Now Harrow has promised it will reopen the park once it has been repaired.

Environment portfolio holder Cllr Phillip O'Dell said specialist companies will produce estimates over Christmas to reveal the costs of ensuring the park is safe again.

The decision to demolish the facility was made amid safety fears, fuelled in part by vandalism, but it angered young users who appealed to the council to change its mind.

Among them were Sandra Field's three sons, who organised a petition among their school chums which they sent to Tony McNulty, their local MP.

Robert, 14, Jorden, 12 and Mitchell, 10, were devastated at the prospect of losing the park.

"It is so much safer than the rest of the park," said Mrs Field, of Byron Road. "The children there look after each other. The older boys and girls look out for the young ones."

She added that the youngsters have pooled £200 of their pocket money to hire a pump to clean out the deep bowls and also spent hours clearing rubbish.

And after hearing that the park was about to be demolished last month, the boys had less than a week to organise the petition to persuade councillors not to take away the facility.

"They were afraid they would have nowhere to go. I have seen the outdoor pool close and many playing fields sold off for developments. What were young people to do if this park had been closed and more young kids forced to play on the streets?

"That this isn't happening is fantastic news for the boys and their friends and is just what we wanted to hear," she said.

The MP for Harrow East also wrote to the council to explain that he too had received many letters about the future of the skateboard park and forwarded the boys' plea.

"The skateboard park appears to be widely used by both skaters and bikers living in Harrow and also from further afield. It would be a shame to lose such a facility," Mr McNulty added.

A meeting should be held after Christmas between Cllr O'Dell and users to discuss the park's future.

By.Rachel Clarke