A £10,000 youth shelter could be removed from a Worcester estate after it was claimed it is no longer fit for purpose.

The shelter at Lyppard Grange, Warndon Villages, no longer appears to attract young people and has instead become a piece of “messy, graffitied equipment”.

The £10,000 steel construction, which was in the pipeline for three years before it opened in 2005, was supposed to prevent teenagers from congregating near homes and shops.

But just days after it opened, the shelter was branded a “diabolical eyesore” and a “waste of public money”.

Now seven years later, Mo Walker, manager of the Lyppard Grange Community Centre, said she never sees young people using the shelter no matter what the day or time. But she said some people are clearly using the shelter due to the amount of litter being left behind.

“It doesn’t appear to be particularly used on a regular basis by young people”, she said. “If it is being used it’s late at night and it’s getting into a mess.”

Ms Walker said the litter problem was exposed when the shrubs surrounding the shelter were cut back about a month ago.

She said: “It exposed a really messy, graffitied piece of equipment. It is letting down this side of the Villages. A lot of money is spent on keeping Warndon Villages nice.

“It led me to speak to the parish council and Andy Roberts about whether it is still being used and if it is still necessary. I do recognise that young people need somewhere to go, it’s an age-old problem here.

“It wouldn’t bother me if something replaced it as long as it didn’t look so terrible.”

Worcestershire County Councillor Andy Roberts, who represents Warndon, raised the issue with Warndon Parish Council on Monday night.

Councillors agreed they would not object to the shelter being removed.

Coun Steve Mackay said: “I very rarely see anyone using it.”

But coun Nick Fielden said young people had to be able to meet up”.

He said: “I would be interested to see where young people do go.”