NUNTHORPE and Marton rail commuters claim Gypsy Lane station has become a haven for drug and alcohol abusers.

Commuters using the halt say that youths hang around, making the shelter on the south of the track and platform a no-go area for passengers travelling to Middlesbrough.

They also fear vandalism and rubbish being dumped at the halt and across the track will lead to a major incident.

They want Arriva Trains to demolish the shelter.

Resident Paul Grainger, who travels on the Whitby to Middlesbrough line regularly, said he and fellow travellers had been pleading for years with rail bosses to demolish the shelter and rid the leafy suburb of the dangerous eyesore.

Mr Grainger said: "We want this shelter knocking down. The youths congregate in there because nobody can see what they are getting up to.

"The regular train users are fed up with this and everyone has agreed to sign a petition. People here pay up to £400, 000 for their homes and this shelter is smelly, dirty and dangerous.

Last summer, Mr Grainger averted a rail disaster by removing a piece of corrugated roofing metal and a 6ft metal post which had been left on the line.

He wrote to bosses at Arriva Trains recently on behalf of other commuters, requesting once again that the shelter be destroyed.

He said: "The bench and the shelter is regularly set on fire, and it is often full of cans, bottles, vomit, excrement and drug paraphenalia.

"No-one who uses the train has used this shelter for a very long time."

"Arriva has sent someone out to clean it, but it is not long before it is back in the same state. It needs to be demolished, and a clear plastic one erected with no seats so we are able to see that nothing going on inside is against the law.

Dyan Crowher, commercial director at Arriva Trains, said: "We are concerned to hear reports that people may be using drugs at Gypsy Lane station. We recognise the concerns raised by the residents and will be looking into this issue.

"We would urge customers who see someone taking an illegal substance on station premises to advise a member of our staff immediately, or contact British Transport Police on 0800 405 400."