A CHURCH is being plagued by nuisance youths who gather outside in large groups on Friday nights.

A rowdy group of up to 40 teenagers has been meeting outside St Clement’s Church, in Leigh Broadway.

They have been drinking alcohol and leaving broken bottles strewn across the churchyard.

The boughs of some of the old trees there have also been snapped off, a noticeboard smashed, and a disabled access sign pulled up.

Father Kenneth Havey, rector at the church, said: “It was especially noticeable during Lent, when we have additional services on Friday evenings. Some of our older members felt intimidated by the sheer numbers of youngsters and stopped attending.”

Many of the youngsters are said to be coming down by train from Pitsea and Benfleet.

But Sgt Gary Lane, of Leigh police, said they also see many parents dropping their kids off in cars.

He said: “It’s a case of discouraging these people from coming here.

“We are seeing a lot of kids getting dropped off at the Broadway by parents and picked up later, so it’s a presumption it’s perfectly acceptable for kids to do that.

“We are trying to confront that issue with parents.”

Police will be using the same tactic they did when there were problems at Belfairs Park last year, where they spoke to any parents they spotted.

They are also patrolling with the Youth Offending Service, which will visit the parents of any youngsters who are behaving badly.

Father Havey added: “In their defence, the youngsters aren’t in any sense threatening or dangerous – they drink, show off, and they get a bit antisocial.

“I got up to worse when I was their age. I sympathize with them, as they have nowhere to go.

“I support the police wholeheartedly in their efforts to bring order.

“They have responded very positively to our concerns and have done everything they can to help.”

Officers have been dispersing the teenagers, but they tend to regroup later at other hotspots.

Problems have been reported in Chalkwell Park, the Iceland supermarket car park in London Road, and the junction of Clements Avenue and London Road.

The police operation now covers these areas.