REVELLERS gathering on Wallingford’s riverbank say they are not to blame for littering or disorder at the beauty spot.

Last week, litter bins were burnt out and smashed bottles and cans left close to Wallingford bridge, near where new moorings are being built to attract tourists to the town.

But young people who enjoy drinking by the river said they neither leave their rubbish behind nor cause problems for other river users, and other residents should not be worried about their behaviour.

Jason Pearce, 23, from Station Road, Cholsey, said the group of 18- to 25-year-olds even step in to make sure younger teenagers do not cause problems.

He said: “We are school friends, college friends and friends of friends who go to the same pubs and on the same nights out. We are all Wallingford born and bred.

“We love Wallingford and we are closely knitted together because it is our home town. We do not like it if people are causing trouble and we don’t know who they are.

“Nobody has got anything to worry about.

“If we are causing trouble, nobody should be afraid to come and ask us to turn it down a bit. They are not going to get any abuse.”

Mr Pearce said that on Saturday, April 16, the group collected all its rubbish and piled it together to be collected as they left the site, but somebody else set fire to it later that evening.

He said the bins were inadequate and more should be installed.

He added: “We even collected other people’s rubbish from the area.

“There was a large group of us down there, and people think we are responsible for the mess.”

Mayor of Wallingford Dee Cripps said she had continued to receive complaints about behaviour at the riverside this week, including men urinating in public.

She said: “We want people to go to the riverbank and enjoy the facilities as long as they respect other people.”