A BUS shelter at Scotton, near Richmond, is to be removed after complaints that it has become a target for vandals and noisy youths, with some using it as a toilet.

Scotton Parish Council has asked for the shelter, at the junction of Meanee Road and Bedale Road, to be taken away, claiming it is no longer used by people waiting for a bus.

In a letter to Richmondshire District Council, parish councillors said it had become a focal point for youths, many of them from outside Scotton.

The council said: "The consequent noise, mostly shouts of abuse to each other, passers-by and nearby householders, the graffiti, vandalism and lewd behaviour generally, including using the shelter as a public toilet, has been a cause of concern for some time.

"The district council has spent a considerable sum over the past two years in repairing and redecorating the shelter.

"After much discussion, the parish council has decided that the only long-term solution is to have the shelter removed."

A district council spokesman said the shelter had been damaged and daubed with graffiti over the past two years.

He said it was repainted in February, but within days more damage had been caused, and then repainted in March, and again damaged within days.

He said the cost of removing the shelter was not expected to be more than £1,000