DRUG and booze-fuelled teenagers have been using a village shelter for wild parties organised on the internet.

Hundreds of youngsters, some believed to be as young as 12, have been travelling from other towns and villages to party at a stone shelter off Cliff Road above Holmfirth, say residents.

They say the parties, rumoured to be co-ordinated on social networking site Facebook, have been the target of dealers pushing drugs and alcohol to underage drinkers.

Visitors to the shelter, known as The Rec, have discovered discarded beer cans, bottles, condoms, aerosols and even syringes and tin foil.

Villagers in Wooldale say youngsters, some in their early 20s, have been lighting fires and throwing aerosol cans onto the flames.

One villager said she believed a mobile phone with pictures of youngsters injecting themselves had been found.

The parties, which often take place before school holidays, began at least 10 years ago but have become larger and wilder over the last two years.

Another villager said she had seen parents dropping their children off at the parties.

Residents say the party-goers are putting themselves at risk at the decaying shelter, which sits four feet from a 30ft sheer drop with no guard fence.

Following a meeting at the shelter on May 7, villagers, councillors and police have demanded the shelter be demolished. A survey of the shelter’s condition was carried out by Kirklees Council the following day.

A resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “The shelter is in bad repair with huge cracks running across the top of the structure and metal joists showing advanced signs of rusting and metal fatigue. At times there are over 30 young people dancing on top of this building.

“They’ve only got to fall off the roof or fall off the cliff. We will see someone there dead from an accident or an overdose. It’s that serious.

“If the shelter is demolished it will stop the parties. They will find somewhere else because it’s common knowledge these kids move around. But if we can disperse them and give them alternatives, hopefully this can have a positive impact across Kirklees.”

A spokesman for Kirklees Leisure said: “The council is working with local police and ward councillors to investigate the allegations and resolve the problem. This shelter was debated at the area committee last year and general opinion was against a proposal to demolish it.

“The structure is currently being surveyed to ensure it is sound and work is being undertaken to resolve any antisocial behaviour.”