An English city council is using pig dung to keep teenagers away from a woodland where they had been drinking and taking drugs.

Elderly residents in Middlesbrough, in north-east England, had complained about young people smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol in a woodland near a housing estate.

In response, officials thinned out trees and spread a thick layer of pig dung on the ground in an operation that they say has been highly effective in deterring wayward teenagers.

"Following complaints, an inspection of the area revealed it was being used to drink alcohol and take drugs, as paraphernalia known as bongs (used to smoke cannabis) were found," said a spokesman for Middlesbrough Council.

"Feedback from the residents indicated that, although there was a slight whiff in Willowbank, they would much rather have a pong than a bong."

ABC/AFP