Council targets yobs

Mr Peter Culver spoke at Beaminster Town Council's meeting and called for a by-law to control under-age drinking.

He claimed the problems of drinking and foul language and behaviour occurred on youth club nights and he knew it was youngsters from the club because he had followed them back there from the playing fields.

"This has been going on for years. We should take action now, it's gone on long enough. This is being done on the play area. I won't give up on this one," he said.

Mr Culver circulated pictures to councillors showing beer cans, vodka bottles and vandalism.

He said the police had come one night but only stayed three minutes.

Coun John Spooner said the youth club staff had no powers to prevent members leaving the club and it was really the police who should be involved.

He said: "We are constantly regaled with stories of their coming but like Custer I am getting very sceptical.

"The problems we have here are basically confined to Tuesdays and Fridays, problems that are well known to the majority of the council and the majority of the town. We have had police presence here in the past and the improvement has been quite dramatic."

Coun Spooner said it would not take a draconian police operation to sort out the problems but a quiet word in the right direction could work wonders.

Coun Douglas Beazer suggested the council request police presence at council meetings and this was agreed.

Services officer David Evans' report to the council outlined damage caused by vandals. This included a £209-plus VAT bill for vandalised basketball frame, three vandalised verandah stanchions and vandalism to the new multi-activity frame on the playground.

After the meeting Coun John Spooner said parents and children should be made aware of the cost of vandalism - a cost that was ultimately coming from their own pockets through the precept.

Money spent on repairs was money not being spent on facilities for young people, he added.