School pupils have been accused of “severe” littering and showing “extreme disrespect” for a community park by the chairman of the charity that looks after it.

Tony Shannon, chair of the Riley Park Trust, says trustees had to seriously consider closing the town centre park down because they could not cope with the “sheer volume” of litter – which he says is often left behind by pupils from nearby Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School (SWBGS).

The park was only saved from closure after a Good Samaritan came forward and had a team collect 16 sacks of rubbish for free.

Mr Shannon has now written a letter to SWBGS headmaster, Dr Peter Holding, ahead of the summer holidays, expressing his concerns over the “disrespect” of the park.

The trust is a registered charity, run by a team of voluntary trustees who maintain and look after the area. The trust was founded in July 1914 by Edward Riley, who set up a deed that said the area had to be left in trust so children can play safely off the streets.

Mr Shannon said the constant littering shows “indifference” to the founder who was also “generous” to the school and was a governor there.

He said: “We feel it is a dreadful reflection on our senior schools which behave with indifference in this matter, particularly over the last 14 or 15 years.

“It shows extreme disrespect for a facility which belongs to the people of Marlow. The PCSOs have engaged our primary schools to do some planting and litter picking in the facility thereby giving good example to their seniors.” 

The trust currently has to pay around £2,000 a year for litter management and hopes that SWBGS pupils may be encouraged to take part in helping them clear rubbish regularly as a mark of respect for the “kindness and generosity” of Mr Riley.

Dr Peter Holding, SWBGS headmaster, told the Marlow Free Press that the school “endeavours to be good neighbours”.

He said: “Students from my school are no doubt users of the park and if any of them have misbehaved in any way, including dropping litter, we will always try to tackle these issues. In the past when Mr Shannon has contacted us we have always tried to be supportive.

“Inevitably the problems arise outside school hours, so identifying and then tackling the individuals can be a challenge. Because the park is used by many people, not just children, and not just by our children, we are keen not to label one group.  

“Litter is a problem for all of us, and we want to play our part in tackling it. I'm confident we will continue to work with Mr Shannon and the Trust to ensure that they are able to maintain what is an outstanding resource for the local community.”