Children’s concerns over Rotherham Interchange safety

They were asked for their suggestions after a survey showed just nine per cent of teenagers felt secure at the interchange.

Those consulted were from Rotherham Youth Cabinet, the Looked After Children’s Council, Rush House and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender group.

All gave examples of antisocial behaviour they had witnessed, including beer drinking and smoking, to the review by Rotherham Borough Council.

They also highlighted having to pay for the toilets as an issue, with some saying they had seen people urinating into the river to avoid the charge.

Other ideas to improve the bus station included cardboard cut-out cops like in shop fronts, CCTV-monitored panic buttons and bus conductors on school services.

There were 95 incidents reported to staff in 2013, more than double the previous year.

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive said this was the result of staff working with police to target problem individuals to support ASBO applications.

The incident figure reduced to 59 in 2014.

Daryll Broadhead, from SYPTE, said: “As we face unprecedented budget cuts, difficult decisions such as charging for toilets and reviewing staffing levels will continue to affect the public perception of safety.

“This will be carefully managed to reassure travellers that Rotherham remains a safe place in which to live, work and socialise.”

Steve Parry, the council’s crime and antisocial behaviour manager, said: “The town centre and adjoining interchange is a priority for the police, council, SYPTE and wider partnership and this will continue to be the case in the future.

“The relationship between perception and reality in respect of the safety of the town centre and interchange continues to be a challenge.”