PEOPLE are urging Darlington Borough Council to clean up a park which they say is being ruined by drunken youths.

Anne Whelen says she is shocked by the behaviour of youths who meet at Brinkburn Dene, near Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Mrs Whelen, 53, of Surtees Street, who regularly walks her two dogs through the park, says the group of drunken youths meet as early as 7am.

"I am disgusted at the state the Brinkburn Denes are allowed to get in," she said.

"My biggest concern is the drunks who congregate in this Dene.

"Decent people are having to put up with the most foul language. The men just stand and urinate in front of you".

Mrs Whelen says empty bottles, newspapers and half-eaten food also litter the grass banks in the park.

The Denes are a linked series of self-contained parks in residential areas along the line of the Brinkburn Dene watercourse, frequently used for recreation by children and dog walkers.

Two weeks ago, Mrs Whelen and her husband, Patrick, 66, were walking through one section of the Dene when they were overcome by a smell coming from a dustbin tipped on its side.

"The drunks had been using it as a toilet," said Mrs Whelen. "It was absolutely disgusting."

Mrs Whelen phoned the council's cleansing department which immediately sent out staff to clear the mess, but she said the incident was the latest in an ongoing problem.

Last year, Mrs Whelen contacted the police, who said that nothing could be done unless the groups were causing a nuisance.

However, many residents, particularly the elderly, are now reluctant to use the park.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council said that it was working with ward councillors, police and the youth offending team to try to curb the problem.

Wardens have been appointed to work with police and clean the parks on a weekly basis.

The spokesman said: "The residents called for a meeting in August this year but no residents turned up. Since then we have received no complaints about the area. We are aware of the issue. We have responded to the resident's concerns, and we await their approach