CRAVEN suffered its worst weekend of crime for many months and possibly the most riotous mischief night ever.

Gangs of youths used mischief night and bonfire night as an excuse to commit countless acts of arson and vandalism.

Skipton Inspector Tad Nowakowski said police accepted some responsibility for the trouble and admitted officers should have been more pro-active in their approach to dealing with it.

Police and firefighters were inundated with calls after fires were started deliberately, windows were broken and youths appeared to run wild throughout the district.

Insp Nowakowski said the number of crimes committed last weekend was shocking. He said he had not seen anything like it since he began work in Skipton.

He promised everything possible would be done to ensure as many culprits as possible were dealt with by the courts.

Among those suffering from the attacks was Ogden's Building Suppliers on Clitheroe Street, Skipton, which is now facing a downturn in business after one of its vans was gutted by fire.

Business partner Emma Ogden said the seven-and-a-half tonne lorry had been locked in a yard on bonfire night next to the company's other wagon. At about 7pm the lorry was set alight and destroyed.

"We will have lost a lot of work through it. It is an absolute nightmare," said Mrs Ogden.

Four hours prior to this incident, firefighters were called to a garage a couple of hundred yards away when smoke was seen billowing from the premises. A Jaguar was inside the property and firemen are treating the blaze as suspicious.

Two other vehicles were set on fire on Sunday night at the rear of Magnet joinery on Broughton Road, Skipton.

Firefighters said a Ford transit van was set alight deliberately and a Ford Sierra was also caught in the blaze.

Station officer Richard Bacon said these incidents were far more sinister than usual mischief night trouble.