Vandals are risking their lives by climbing on the fragile roof of Myrtle Park bowls pavilion, warns its cafe owner who wants urgent action to repair or demolish the crumbling facade.

Barbara Hale has run Tarquin’s cafe at Bingley for 18 months, which she transformed from semi-derelict into a freshly-decorated venue offering coffees, lunches and ice creams.

But yesterday she told how wayward teenagers were blighting her business and endangering themselves by visiting the 100-year-old building after dark.

“Every morning I waste an hour and a half clearing up broken glass, little plastic dope bags with Bob Marley’s face on and empty Rizla packets,” said Mrs Hale. “There’s a regular gang of about ten teenagers who clamber onto the roof using benches as ladders and then smoke drugs and drink booze.

“It’s boys and girls, and to be honest the girls are worst with unbelievably foul language.

“And not content with that, they’ve caused £300 of damage to our signs, put their feet through the roof and even tried to break in,” said Mrs Hale, who has called police to the park six times in the last three weeks alone.

“The Neighbourhood Police Team have been very good and supportive, but there’s little they can do. Also, the park rangers who used to patrol around have now been put on general duties such as ticketing parked cars.”

She said apart from the safety and security issues, the pavilion desperately needed structural repairs.

“I think profits from events like the Bingley music festival should be fed-in to improve the park’s amenities. There’s not even a public toilet. Either they should totally repair the front of the pavilion which would be lovely, or maybe replace it with a glass conservatory-type roof.” She said staff at Bradford Council’s parks department had just spent £2,000 on emergency repairs to the roof, but major works were now needed.

“The elderly people who come here regularly deserve to have something done to make it nice and safe, as it really is a lovely place,” said Mrs Hale.

Bradford Council said it was investigating options for the pavilion.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Local officers are aware of reports of nuisance behaviour in the area of Myrtle Park, including reports of youths climbing on the roof of the cafe once it is closed. Our enquiries into these reports are ongoing and we carry out regular patrols in the area.”