UNDER AGE youngsters drinking, brawling and taking drugs are blighting Teignmouth's oldest church.

St James Church yard has been taken over by yobs congregating at night in the secluded spot.

Churchwardens are having to pick up sanitary towels, used condoms, needles, women's underwear and empty beer and vodka bottles.

They have even had to scrub off urine and faeces from the church walls.

Rev Philip Luff told Tuesday's town council's finance and general purposes meeting that it is not only St James but also St Michael's and Our Lady and St Patrick churches that are being targeted.

'I find it exceedingly depressing that this is happening in the sacred precinct.

'St Michael's is being used as a public lavatory and we have found ladies underwear left there so there is no guessing what is going on.

'I understand that this kind of behaviour is common in every town. There has been a break down of moral behaviour and my biggest concern is the sanctity of a consecrated area is being used in such a way, and that is a line that should not be crossed,' he said.

Churchwarden Val Clough said: 'We have found beer bottles, cigarette packets, vodka bottles and what looks like cannabis roll-ups.

'We have had to remove sanitary towels, urine and faeces.

'There is something very wrong here. Do these children's parents know where they are going late at night and are they aware of the dangers they are putting themselves in?

'I know of one case where a young girl collapsed behind some flats nearby and I was told that she had to be resuscitated four times. She could have lost her life,' said Mrs Clough.

The police and secondary school, Teignmouth Community College, have been working with the church and are concerned about the number of incidents.

Teachers stepped in when a group of school children stood around a punch-up between two year 10 students two weeks ago.

They were both given a five-day suspension, but the headteacher's powers are limited outside the school gates.

Teignmouth PC Leah Taylor said that the number of incidents that were recorded were far less than those reported to the churchwardens.

'We would ask that people contact us direct. That way we have a truer picture of what's going on and can work out a way to move forward with it,' she said.

Councillors were concerned by the behaviour that has 'got out of hand'.

Mayor Cllr Geoff Bladon said that 'politically correct nonsense,' had allowed the problems to escalate.

'We should be instilling personal self-discipline into our youth, our middle aged and our elderly as well,' he said.

Cllr David Cox said it was the job of the whole community to fight crime, but said Cllr Brenda Battershill, what do children have to do? ' We have let them down with recreational facilities. Where are they supposed to go?' she said.