A DERELICT pub is being used as a drug den by addicts in Worcester.

The Beehive, on Tallow Hill, is home to junkies who burn rubbish in the back garden and leave syringes on the floor, and is where teenage runaways gather.

A former homeless man said he was "gobsmacked" when he went into the former M&B pub to shelter from heavy rain.

"I was amazed," said the man, who does not want to be named. "It's opened my eyes to the drug abuse that goes on in this city."

The man was homeless for around six weeks before finding somewhere to live soon after discovering the den.

"It was like a monsoon and I needed shelter so I went in The Beehive," he said.

"I heard talking and was amazed by what I saw.

"There were around 25 people in there, aged from 14 to about 70. There were syringes everywhere."

He said he saw teenage girls sharing the space with elderly men using walking sticks.

"I'm not knocking the homeless, I know how hard it is," added the man.

"I've slept in car parks and under bridges, but it's terrifying to see all of this.

"I didn't realise there were this many homeless in the city and it seems to be mainly youngsters.

"This place isn't about being homeless though, it's used for taking drugs."

He said there should be more support for youngsters to try to steer them away from drug addiction.

"This place gets raided all the time," the man added. "There are bonfires in the garden and inside. They could burn the place down."

Worcester police said they had been called to an incident in the last month, but had not carried out a raid.

Worcester City Council said it was not aware of any public health dangers.

"We haven't had any complaints about the pub but we'll look into it," said principal environmental health officer Anita Fletcher.