A TOURIST was shocked to discover what he described as a ‘clubbing mecca’ at Kendal Castle last weekend.

Dan Dixon reported seeing dozens of young people, who he guessed were all aged between 13 and 19.

They were blasting music and he said some of them were taking drugs - including MDMA, ketamine and cocaine - and drinking alcohol.

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Mr Dixon was visiting Kendal with a group of five friends on Saturday and went to Kendal Castle at around 9:45pm.

When they arrived he said they found what looked like a group of 80 young people playing music and littering the site.

“There were bottles smashing, kids sat there with their jaws swinging and talking to themselves,” said Mr Dixon, from Preston.

“I’ve seen people get stabbed, death and I’ve been shot at, but this shocked me more than anything.”

Mr Dixon said that although he enjoyed going out with friends when he was younger, the scene at the castle was worse than anything he had witnessed in nightclubs.

The 28-year-old helped one girl who appeared to be intoxicated, saying that she was ‘gurning’, and gave her water after she fell down.

He said he was mostly concerned for the young people’s safety, as well as being disappointed to see such an historic site being treated so disrespectfully.

“I have got two kids and I would want to know what was going on,” he said.

“It’s only a matter of time before somebody dies.”

Mr Dixon left at around 4am with the youngsters still there – and the evidence was clear on Monday with bottles and crates of alcohol piled up against the information board in the castle grounds.

South Lakeland District Council, which owns Kendal Castle, said it was aware that groups often choose to gather in their open space during good weather and inevitably this caused more mess and noise than was usual.

A spokesman said: “The council is aware that on some of our popular sites in Kendal the fine weather can mean that large groups of people congregate.

“Our grounds maintenance contractors do routine checks at these sites, especially after busy periods, to collect litter and assess any damage.

“Where there are reports of any anti-social behaviour these would be reported to police so that they can keep an eye on these places.

“Obviously these are public open spaces so we can’t prevent anyone using them, but we would remind anyone intending to use our parks and public areas to do so responsibly.”

Inspector Paul Latham said Cumbria Police ‘will not tolerate drug taking or disorder’ and urged members of the public to contact police about any incidents.