Government has knocked down a public wharf building once used by Queen Elizabeth II, saying it had become a notorious haven for drug users.

Housing Minister David Burch confirmed on Monday that the site ? a former ferry dock on the doorstep of the plush Cambridge Beaches hotel, Somerset ? was demolished at the weekend.

He said: ?For more than 20 years we have had complaints about the place and the illegal activities that have been going on there. ?I took the decision that it should come down and consulted with the closest neighbours and Cambridge Beaches.?

He said that with Tourism Minister Ewart Brown spending millions to convince tourists to head to Bermuda, the last thing a top resort like Cambridge Beaches needed was a drugs den in the area.

The shelter-style building was on a public wharf at Mangrove Bay, which remains in use.

However, while the wharf building was not listed or historic, it held a special place in the hearts of regular wharf users.

Greg Hartley, who operates helmet dives from the wharf, said Government had a ?twisted rationale? for knocking the building down and several of his passengers expressed regret at the building?s destruction.

?The truth is if there is any evil here, other than the way Government handled it, it is alcohol. Alcohol makes bottles and trash and urine, which they were complaining about. If that is the case, have a place to put trash and a toilet.?

Mr. Hartley said there was no transparency, openness, debate, consultation, advice or notification before it was knocked down.

?The fact they did it on a Saturday was suspicious, like they wanted to get away with something before there was was reaction or protest,? he said.

Mr. Hartley told of a heated confrontation at the wharf between Sen. Burch and a wharf user.

?When he started to make off he responded in kind,? he said. ?He was claiming ownership rather than stewardship. It was like ?this is my dock I will do what I want.??

Government had caved in to special interest groups like Cambridge Beaches, he said, who did not like the music or people being there. ?The fact they arrived with bulldozers and knocked it down was a crime,? he said. ?When they put it back up they should put a wall on the western side so the sound goes out to the Sound.?

Another concerned resident ? who did not want to be named ? said the wharf was part of the Queen?s visit decades ago.

??The Deep? movie was filmed there,? he added. ?It was not a historic building but it was a major part of Somerset fisheries, back in the day and now.

?To just blatantly knock down something that was there for three generations, almost four, is kind of hurtful. It took a lot out of me. It was blatantly and cavalierly knocked down. To me it?s a wake up call.?