Worried residents in a district village are calling for more recreational facilities for youngsters following a spate of vandalism.

In the latest incident, a see-saw and slides in Cullingworth's recreation ground were badly damaged.

It is believed a gang of youths carried out the attacks.

The equipment was fixed after the incident, but Cullingworth Parish Council chairman Bryan Hobson has written a letter to Bradford Council calling for the equipment on the Halifax Road site to be relocated to Lodge Street, close to Cullingworth Health Centre.

John Coultous, a resident in the village for 40 years, said: "We've always had problems with vandals but in this particular incident they broke the see-saw.

"They also sprayed some kind of substance on the equipment which made it sticky and unusable.

"In this incident the Council fixed the problems straight away but the equipment is almost 25 years old I believe.

"I would like to see some new facilities in the village."

Mr Coultous said he would like to see an enclosed play area on the recreation ground, which could include a five-a-side-football pitch, basketball hoops and other activities.

"The vandalism is nothing over the top but if these facilities could be introduced then it would stop any trouble completely," said the 66-year-old.

"At the moment it's obviously frustrating for people who want to take their young ones for a play on the equipment."

Mr Hobson said: "It's outdated play equipment so it really needs modernising with vandal-proof stuff. The location needs changing because it is in the recreation ground where these teenagers are congregating and drinking and smoking.

"There's room up at the health centre for new equipment and I would like to see a skate park." Mr Hobson said up to a dozen youths, aged as young as 14, were congregating in the recreation ground and stopping youngsters from playing on the existing equipment.

He said: "They are a major menace. They intimidate the younger children."

Cullingworth parish councillor Liz Balding said: "The area has become a magnet for bother and residents are

having to put up with this group drop

ping their trousers and 'mooning' at them.

"The behaviour just beggars belief and the attack just made a perfectly usable set of equipment unusable."

A Bradford Council parks and landscapes spokesman said: "We frequently work in partnership with local communities to improve facilities in parks and recreational areas by providing technical expertise and advice on accessing various sources of funding.

"We would be happy to talk to local residents about how the Cullingworth recreation ground could be improved, taking into consideration the size of the area and the views of people who live next to it.

"Following the recent vandalism we have asked the park rangers to increase their visits to the play area.

"We would also appeal to anyone with any information about who is causing this damage to contact the police or the Council on (01274) 432696."