Richmond’s biggest youth club is being used as a secret "drunk tank" for excessively inebriated rugby fans during the World Cup.

Heatham House, which has been a youth centre since the 1950s and underwent a £700,000 refurbishment last year, has been used to treat 12 patients over the last two match days.

The Alcohol Recovery Centre (ARC) has been set up with assistance from Richmond police and the London Ambulance Service for emergency service referrals.

Members of the public are only permitted access to it if taken or referred by emergency services and Richmond Council is concerned that the discovery of its existence could lead to the scheme being abused.

A retired nurse from Twickenham, who did not wish to be named, said she thought the recovery centre was a great idea as long as it is managed by qualified personnel.

She has suffered from drunken fans urinating on her driveway during the tournament and welcomes the idea.

She said: "If people are that heavily intoxicated by alcohol it can be a very serious scenario and people can suffer breathing difficulties that can lead to life-threatening consequences.

"But very drunk people can often be dealt with away from A&E and I think it is a good idea to try and ensure those departments aren’t overloaded."

Council cabinet member for community safety Tony Arbour said he did not know much about the scheme but it seemed to be common sense to have such a facility given the burden placed on the emergency services during the tournament.

A spokeswoman from Twickenham’s police said on the whole the service has worked well so far and the London Ambulance Service expects the centre to be busier when there are more high profile matches.

She said: "The police are the only non-ambulance staff that can refer directly into the ARC."