A BRADFORD primary school is looking to install CCTV and police have upped patrols amid fears of suspected drug taking and dealing in the area.

Small plastic bags have been appearing outside the grounds of St Walburga's Catholic Primary School on a regular basis in recent weeks, according to a concerned parent.

The parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said there are always one or two bags lying around on the roads by the school and claims they are drug paraphernalia.

They took a photo of three small bags on January 7 and shared the image on social media website, Twitter, raising the issue with Bradford Council and the police.

One of the bags had a "cannabis leaf pattern" on it, according to the parent.

The post on Twitter said: "This has been going on far too long and no action seems to have been taken."

Bradford Council responded online to query whether the items next to the bags were "needles or bits of a twig".

The parent confirmed the originally unidentified objects were twigs.

They said: "It was the three small, ziploc bags I was referring to.

"One with a cannabis leaf pattern on.

"It is a regular occurrence for these to appear on the paths around the school and I'm pretty sure they haven't fallen out of the children's lunchboxes."

Just two-and-a-half weeks later, the parent discovered six or seven more small plastic bags in the same area and posted on Twitter again.

They said: "Obviously a profitable weekend's business for someone.

"This needs addressing.

"It is happening outside a primary school."

The Chair of Governors for St Walburga's, Sarah Martin, said the school is fully aware of the issue and has taken action to try resolve the situation.

She added: "The school is fully aware of this issue and has been in regular contact with the local police and councillor over recent months.

"We continue to monitor the situation and going forward intend to carry out a local mailshot, encouraging local residents to report concerns directly to the police.

"We are also investigating the possibility of installing monitoring equipment."

The concerned parent has reported the issue to police on one occasion.

They said: "I’ve done one online report, but didn’t get a reference number.

"It is a very frequent occurrence.

"There are new bags there nearly every week so it is obviously a popular spot for dealing/using."

Inspector Craig Stothers of Shipley NPT, said officers - like the school - are aware of the issue and have increased patrols in the area, as a result.

Mr Stothers added: “We are aware of reported concerns in this location and we are liaising with Bradford Council.

“We are ensuring that there are increased high visibility patrols in the area to reassure the local community.

“I would urge anyone who has any information or has witnessed anything in the area to contact our NPT teams via 101 or shipleynt@westyorkshire.police.uk.

“If you would prefer, information can also be passed to independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”