YOUNG vandals have forced the council to move glass-recycling banks from a Worcester pub's car park after just six weeks.

The banks had to be removed from outside The Goodrest Inn, Barker Street, off Lansdowne Road, at the request of new landlords David and Kerry Pickford.

Though it was well used, the couple complained after children smashed glass, jumped on the bins and disturbed neighbours with the noise.

"I'm pleased they've gone because of all the mess, but it's also a real shame because other people were using them," said Mrs Pickford.

"We've been here four weeks but it's been a problem for about two-and-a-half of those. The noise started around the time kids finish school and continued until about 9pm."

A new trial site has now been opened on the car park of another pub, The Farmers Boy, in Tolladine Road - the fifth new glass-recycling site opened in Worcester this year.

"We plan to use it ourselves and we'll just have to keep an eye open for any problems," said Gail Derrick, landlady of The Farmers Boy.

"But it should be great because people will have somewhere safe to put any bottles or glass they find."

Worcester City Council's assistant environmental protection officer, Hannah Phoenix, was disappointed with the setback but was encouraging people to continue with recycling.

"The vandals' behaviour had been upsetting the new landlord so we've been forced to remove them, which is such a pity as the Goodrest scheme had been proving the busiest of the four existing sites" she said.

"If glass is put into a recycling bank it then goes back into the furnace and can be used to make new glass. This saves energy during manufacture, and raw materials."

Worcester recycles about nine per cent of household waste, but a new project - due to start in June - hopes to reach Government targets of 16 per cent by 2003/4.