A father has been told if he wants to stop rowdy youngsters using a park near his home at night he will have to lock the gate himself.

Peter Wilkinson, of Upper North Street in Brighton, said he and his family have been kept awake because of noisy revellers partying in parkland behind their home since wardens stopped locking the gate each night earlier this summer.

But when Mr Wilkinson contacted Brighton and Hove City Council to ask why it stopped locking the gate he was told it was to save costs and asked him to consider setting up a locking-up and unlocking rota with other residents.

Mr Wilkinson, who works as a journalist for CNN and lives with his partner Fiona Robbins and their sons Evelyn, six, and Teddy, four, said: "I was flabbergasted. I don't have time to go round locking and unlocking gates. It makes me wonder what I pay £150 a month council tax for if it isn't jobs like this."

He said the park used to be quiet at night before wardens stopped locking the gate and that other neighbours had also complained about late-night noise. He said: "It's at its worst when the pubs close but there have been several occasions when we've been woken up at midnight or 1am to the sounds of whoops and shrieks coming from the park."

In an email response to Mr Wilkinson's complaint, Sandra Chamberlain, from the council, said: "This is budget saving consistent with other parks in the city." She said communities near St Nicholas playground, Pelham Square, New Steine and William Clarke Park had set up their own locking-up rotas.

A city council spokeswoman said: "The council stopped locking the gate at the garden of rest at St Nicholas Church in Dyke Road earlier this year.

"Some residents have expressed an interest in setting up their own key scheme, taking it in turns to lock the gates.

"No one has to be involved in such a scheme if they do not wish to."