A BENCH that was once renowned as a hotspot for courting couples has fallen into disrepair - and now an Ilkley resident has called for its restoration

The 'love sea't, by the Old Bridge, was so popular, it featured on a postcard of the town about 100 years ago. The bench, on the Dalesway, has now fallen into a state of neglect - and has become a site for fly-tipping.

Its once spectacular view of the River Wharfe is also is now obscured by an adjacent horticultural nursery. Frazer Irwin, of Queens Road, said he was sad that a romantic corner of Ilkley's past had been destroyed.

He said: "You would get courting couples going down on an evening or a sunny afternoon and canoodling.

"Now it's a compost heap. It gets bigger during the summer too. It just seems a shame. The dog-walkers are somewhat bothered about it. A friend of mine nearly lost her dog because of the compost heap.

"It was foraging around and it started to give way."

Mr Irwin said he believed residents of a nearby block of flats could be to blame for the waste at the spot. He also called for the bench to be restored to its former glory.

He said: "There are few places where local courting couples can go. It doesn't have to be young courting couples.

"Elderly people might like a quiet place to go and enjoy a view of the Old Bridge."

Barbara Hall, a resident at Sycamore Court, admitted that residents occasionally left garden refuse next to the bench.

She said: "It is a compost heap, which is what it has been since I came. People around here haven't got room for compost heaps as we only have tiny bits of garden.

"It is only garden refuse. I often just leave a few twigs."

Mrs Hall said she had noticed the bench had seen better days - but said she knew nothing of its romantic past. "I have been here for three years. Its got slightly more dilapidated since then. Nobody sits on it, except for one Friday night a couple of winos sat there."

Mrs Hall, who is retired, added that she did not wish to see it restored - as she feared that far from attracting couples it could become a magnet for drug-taking teenagers. She said: "If that seat was replaced we might get teenagers with drugs because I have already seen it along here.

"There were about five, tall teenage boys and one girl. I didn't know what they were doing and I was nervous about it. Times change."

Mrs Hall said it would be a far better solution to relocate the bench to the other side of the river.

Colin Speakman, chairman of the Dalesway Association, said: "We are very concerned. It is obviously a very nice feature. It is a place where people go for a stroll, walk their dogs - and go courting perhaps.

"We would be very sad if it was damaged or destroyed. We want to make sure it is looked after properly. We are very keen to see it preserved. If it is a case of repair work, we will send somebody out to look at it."

A Bradford Council Cleansing spokeswoman said: "We would urge residents not to simply dump their garden waste but to dispose of it properly.

"There is a council household waste site in Golden Butts Road where garden waste can be placed for recycling."