VILLAGERS in a quiet corner of the district have spoken of their shock that their village hall is being advertised as a meeting place on a swingers’ website.

During the day, Abridge village hall is home to a seniors’ club, a children’s nursery and a doctor’s surgery, but at night it is being touted as a place where strangers can meet for casual sex in public – a practice known as ‘dogging’.

The activity has become widespread in Britain in recent years, and celebrities including Eastenders actor Steve McFadden and footballer Stan Collymore are among those who are known to have taken part.

A comment on one website says: “Abridge: village hall car park – weekends, very busy!”

On a different site another wrote: “I’ve had some very good fun at Abridge hall car park – nice and quiet.”

The car park entrance remains open round the clock, and while there is a CCTV camera there are several blind spots, most noticeably by the children’s playground.

When the Guardian visited the site it found it littered with discarded condoms and empty condom packets.

One resident who overlooks the site said she had noticed unusual activity late at night.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said: “You hear them coming and going all times of the night – there’s always car doors slamming and groups of people.

“I thought it was a bit strange at first but I didn’t want to go out and say anything to them in case they got nasty.”

News that their hall is being used for seedy encounters has upset many villagers.

Abridge Senior Club secretary Yvonne Loveday said she was ‘disgusted’ by the news.

She added: “There’s a nursery, surgery and a playground. It’s really the heart of our village. I’m totally disgusted that it’s being used this way.”

Nina St Pier, who lives opposite the site said: “It’s incredible to me that a local hall could be used in this way. Things like this don’t happen in Abridge.”

Abridge parish councillor John Filby said they would do everything in their power to curb it.

He said: “Between the trustees of the hall and the local police we will get rid of this perversion from our village. We hope that all villagers will be vigilant and report anything suspicious.”