CLAY pigeon shooting enthusiasts have been accused of boozing while taking part in events at an unauthorised shoot on land in Barnsley which is crossed by footpaths.

Tankersley Parish Council has complained about activities on the plot off Westwood Lane, which links Pilley with the hamlet of Howbrook, and concerns were initially raised because of noise from shotguns.

The landowner has dismissed safety concerns as unfounded and said he is working with Barnsley Council and the police to get turn the shoot into a long term business.

Barnsley Council’s noise officer, James Gardham, has confirmed an investigation has been launched but parish councillors now have further concerns.

They believe shooting parties using the site have been drinking alcohol, because of waste containers found on the site.

Parish Council clerk Kerry Blantern said: “Further concerns regarding public safety were stressed, due to shooting taking place in areas enclosing footpaths, not all of which had warning notices, and shots being fired into the air space occupied by power cables and within close proximity of the A616.”

Under planning rules, small numbers of events can be organised by landowners annually without the need for planning permission.

But the tipping point is when more than 14 occur in one year, meaning that planning permission must be sought.

Coun Richard Garforth has told the parish council that the 14 day rule had been passed.

Portable toilets had also been installed, along with shooting stands and structures constructed from hay bales.

The parish council has now contacted Joe Jenkinson, Barnsley Council’s head of planning, to request ‘urgent action’ over the issue.

Barnsley East Coun Robert Barnard said he had also raised the issue with the planning department and they had been in touch with the landowner.

“It requires a planning application and they are waiting for one. It looks like it will be retrospective,” he said.

The site is owned by farmer Alex Tue and he said the shoot had been operated on a trial basis under the name Westwood Sporting Clays to assess the viability of the idea.

It was now moving forward with a full planning application to Barnsley Council which, if successful, would allow for a clay shoot on the land each Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

Work had also been done with South Yorkshire Police to get the correct safety certification for the site, he added.

"We wanted to see if it was financially viable and whether it was too noisy. We set off in the summer when people are out in their gardens."

Environmental experts had been in to monitor noise levels, he said, and they had seen a growing demand from shooters keen to use the facilities, with up to 170 turning up through the course of a day.

"It makes economic use of the land and we want to make it a prestigious venue," he said.

The land had previously been used for off-road motorcycling competitions but illicit use of the land by bikers created problems and it was taken out of use for that reason, he said.

Mr Tue dismissed the safety concerns raised over the shoot, pointing out that shotguns have a limited range and precautions had been taken to ensure they were not in conflict with anyone using footpaths.