Sidmouth: Local boys' den to be torn down following council complaint

A woodland den built by a group of teenage boys from Beer on council land will be torn down over health and safety concerns.

East Devon District Council said that as it is liable for the land its "hands are legally tied".

Six teenage boys started building the den on a concrete slab in November.

After finishing construction a few weeks ago, a notice appeared on the door saying those in "unauthorised occupation" of the den must vacate the land because they had not obtained a "lease or licence from the legal owner".

Leo Gribble, 16, said: "We started building the den in mid November last year as in Beer there's not many places for us to go. We got bored and so decided to give ourselves a little project to do.

"We built it by looking for free wood from the forest, and then a few local people from the village gave us wood to use as well.

"We used our grandparents tools - like drills and saws - to get the wooden structure up. Then we covered it in two layers of tarp and painted it over so it looks nice.

"We are baffled to be honest, I know there was one anonymous complaint to East Devon Council, but I don't see how they can call it trespassing or illegal occupation."

In a statement, a spokesperson for the council said: "The 'den' has been built near the Undercliff on East Devon District Council land, in an area not accessible by vehicles on a steep site, without the proper permissions.

"Following a complaint, we investigated the site and found a wooden shack made from drilled-together wooden pallets, along with a fire pit, rope swing, beer cans etc.

"There were numerous health and safety issues and as we are liable for the land and what happens on it, our hands are legally tied.

"This sadly means we will have to remove the items as we cannot risk the safety of someone's child.

"We know there are mixed feelings locally and we hope the local community can understand this decision, even if they don't agree with it."