A FIREPIT and bench designed to give young people a place to gather will now be replaced with a metal sculpture after it was wrecked in a blaze.

Those behind the scheme are blaming teenagers for the damage after a massive bonfire got out of control, scorching nearby trees and destroying the feature at a Baildon beauty spot.

The Military Sculpture Park, a memorial project funded by £150,000 of charitable donations, at Ferniehurst Dell was opened last year. It was decided to include a small pit for community fires and outdoor cooking.

But on Friday night a fire came close to burning down surrounding trees and was put out by Idle firefighters, said Friends of Ferniehurst Dell chairman Rob Higgie.

Now it has been decided to replace the firepit with a seven-foot stainless steel sculpture of twisted flames.

"Our original hope was that teenagers and others would take this as an opportunity to behave responsibly and that's not been the case," Mr Higgie said.

"It's very sad as we really did want to give them a chance.

"This was researched thoroughly on the internet and the plan was people would gather there, sit, cook and keep warm around the campfire," Mr Higgie said.

"This is the second time since November that the fire brigade has had to be called out because of fires at the Dell and it's simply not an acceptable use of their valuable time.

"The yobs who have done this are not using the firepit in the way it was intended, the area is full of bottles and litter and it shows total disrespect for other users of the Dell and people who live nearby," Mr Higgie said.

"Sadly, we will now be getting rid of the fire pit and replacing it with a steel flame sculpture.

"We've had this in mind for a while and the piece has been commissioned, but last weekend's blaze has settled the matter," he said.

"People really like the sculpture park, the trim trail is popular during good weather and the whole Dell has been opened up for children and dog walkers and lost the sinister feel it used to have in the evenings.

"Over all, it's a beautiful place that's been recovered for the community," Mr Higgie said.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service's (WYFRS) head of fire engineering and planning, Nigel Charlston, said: "In principle WYFRS would not oppose the idea of a fire pit where burning remained controlled. However, the responsible person must ensure suitable and sufficient arrangements are in place to protect users on an on-going basis.

"When someone starts an uncontrolled fire deliberately it can easily spread and pose a serious risk to life, property and the environment."

Baildon ward councillor Debbie Davies (Con) said there had been had some misgivings about the fire pit.

"It was a lovely idea in theory, but experience tells us we do have to be realistic about things like this," she said, adding that the Friends had done a lot of good work in the area.