A high fence will be built around Totnes Castle to stop youngsters breaking in for night-time shenanigans.

For years there have been complaints about the antisocial behaviour of local youths.

It’s claimed the kids clamber over the boundary wall at Castle Court to access the site at night.

As well as being a noisy nuisance to neighbouring residents, the trespassers are damaging the fabric of the Norman monument, according to English Heritage.

Concerns have also been raised for the safety of the trespassers, who have been seen scaling the towering ramparts and high walls.

South Hams District Council has given English Heritage the okay to raise a section of the boundary wall by building a new fence on top and installing metal gates to three existing openings in the inner bailey wall.

Janet Relf, secretary of the Castle Court Residents Association, said young people break into the castle to drink alcohol, resulting in “considerable noise and disturbance”.

In its statement to the planning authority, English Heritage said: “Crucially, the proposals deliver important heritage benefits, aiming to prevent further damage to the historic fabric of the castle resulting from ongoing antisocial behaviour.

“This unauthorised access is regularly resulting in vandalism and damage to the fabric of the monument.”

Supporting the application, Ms Relf wrote: “The boundary wall at its present height enables the young people to access Totnes Castle and its grounds illegally, over the wall at night, where alcohol and other substances are consumed.

“We would, of course, be happy for the youth of Totnes to enjoy Totnes Castle and its grounds, but some of the consequences of their trespass are worrying.

“Littering is a relatively minor concern, noise and nuisance a somewhat greater one, but the safety of the young ones is a real concern.

“They have been observed – English Heritage has photographs – climbing and scrambling up the ramparts and around the top of the castle walls and damage has been done to the boundary walls and ramparts.”

As well as raising the height of the boundary wall and installing three new metal gates, English Heritage will also use anti-climb paint on existing railings adjacent to Castle Court, put up new ‘Do Not Climb’ signs and infill existing voids in the boundary wall to remove footholds.

PCSO Jason Vasey said the break-ins are a seasonal issue that occurs during the school summer holidays when youngsters have “time on their hands” and the weather is warm.

“It’s a bit of a seasonal issue, specifically in the summer holidays,” he said.

“It’s essentially antisocial behaviour and young people looking around to get a bit of privacy and potentially drink alcohol underage out of sight.

“It’s not manned at night and youths will come in to drink. There are benches there as well – it’s quite an attractive venue.

“We’ve got no doubt there are people drinking there and socialising and the risk is, if they continue to do that in that venue, they’re going to fall.

“The ramparts are high and there’s a potential risk of falling. The real concerns are littering and accidents occurring there.”

A spokesman for English Heritage said: “Totnes Castle is a classic motte-and-bailey castle with a history spanning almost a thousand years; but more recently it has sadly been a target for antisocial behaviour, littering and graffiti.

“This kind of activity has the potential to damage a historic site significantly –in the worst-case beyond repair – causing the loss of important local and national history forever.

“We are responsible for caring for Totnes Castle to ensure that it can be enjoyed by current and future generations.

“In this case, we’ve taken the decision that the best way to do this is to secure the site with fencing to help deter access outside visitor hours.

“We’ll ensure the design will be sympathetic to the historic site’s surroundings and are currently taking measures to plan for its installation.”

SHDC has granted planning permission on condition that the work is carried out within three years, the development adheres to the drawings submitted and that works comply with the relevant planning act.