Police have slapped a temporary dispersal order on Godalming town centre, including the Phillips Memorial Park, after weeks of complaints about drinking and antisocial behaviour in the park and the cloister.

The order was issued at 9pm on Friday night and will stay active until this Friday (August 7th). It applies from 4pm to 2am each day.

The order gives police the power to tell groups to disperse, with the risk of arrest if they fail to comply.

The area covered includes the High Street, the station, Church Road, the Phillips Memorial Park and The Burys.

The action comes after weeks of antisocial behaviour in the area, with reports of yobs leaving broken bottles and litter, fighting and being abusive to passers-by.

However vandals still managed to set light to a bench over the weekend, prompting outrage among residents. The three-sided picnic bench near the bandstand was also torched recently.

Resident Jo Hogbin said she was appalled by the damage.

"Enough is enough," she said. "This was someone's memorial bench. Police patrolling is required and I'm so bored of hearing it's the previous administration's fault, or it's the Tory Government's fault that there are not enough police resources. This is happening right here right now on a daily basis.

"I walk here every morning and there is criminal damage or broken glass every morning. There was a fire on the Bury's field last week. This is not about politics, this is about community."

An allotment holder at the nearby Burys site, who did not wish to be named, said: "I am an allotment holder and it has become very intimidating to go there on a weekend.

"Also it is now the unofficial toilet of the park. I have now tried to block routes in, to no avail. Many times this summer I have caught people coming through the hedge and urinating on my plot. On a Saturday/Sunday there is even a queue."

In a statement to Nub News, the force said: "We have received increased of reports of anti-social behaviour in the town centre and in and around the Phillips Memorial Park in Godalming recently.

"Many of these reports relate to incidents involving young people, with reports of people setting fires, criminal damage, people being assaulted and verbal abuse and intimidation. "A dispersal order was put in place under Section 34 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act, which gives us the power to ask a group of two or more people to leave the dispersal area if they are doing anything wrong, or if we believe that they may, or are likely to, cause a nuisance to someone else. "Patrols have been increased and have been focused on this area during these times." Poice say anyone acting antisocially will be directed to leave the area for a period of up to 48 hours. Police said that failure to comply with a direction to leave the area may lead to arrest and prosecution. Waverley Borough Council said it was not involved in the imposition of the order. A spokesperson said: "We do, however, encourage residents to report anti-social behaviour to the police so that it can be logged centrally to enable hotspot areas to be identified." "The neighbourhood team has also been working closely with colleagues from Waverley Borough Council to find a way forward and come up with longer-term solutions to tackle the issue." "We would urge members of the public to continue reporting any incidents of anti-social behaviour to us on 101." Furniture and homewares firm Villa and Hut have offered to help meet the cost of a new bench. Writing on Facebook, Will, from the company, said: "Please, whoever's family this bench belongs to, get in touch and I'll give you some options on solid teak benches at cost price if not better."