PARISH councillors have accused the police of 'pussyfooting' around the problem of teenage drug abuse in Addingham.

They claimed the problem of youngsters congregating at a disused railway bridge to inject heroin - as highlighted in the Gazette last month - was getting worse and police were not doing enough to stop it.

Crowds of youths gather on the bridge - between Addingham Primary School and the former First School - on an evening, leaving behind a trail of needles, used condoms and empty alcohol bottles.

Now parish councillors are calling on police to make full use of their 'stop and search' powers.

And they want parents to join them in declaring war on Drugs in the village by keeping a closer eye on their kids.

Coun Alan Jerome told a meeting that police weren't doing enough to crack down on drug users.

"They (the police) are pussyfooting," he said. "If they were to arrest them and search them it would put other youngsters off. I ask how serious the police are. I got the feeling at the parish meeting that the police were a bit half-hearted. We should be very, very concerned."

Newly-elected parish council chairman Gordon Campbell said police had recently stopped and searched a teenage boy in the Memorial Hall car park - but no arrest had been made.

And he claimed to know who the drug pushers and users in the village were.

"We know of two 17 or 18-year-olds who are dealing to 14 and 15-year-olds," he said. "Police know who they are but there are limited options available to them with regard to a search in a public place."

Coun Daniel Palmer questioned whether parents were aware of their children's night-time activities.

"There seem to be a hell of a lot of orphans in this village. I just don't understand what parents are up to."

The council agreed the best way to tackle the issue was by bringing it out into the open. "We need to make everyone, especially parents, aware that this is going on in the village," said Coun Jerome.

After the meeting, Coun Campbell urged parents to contact him if they were worried about their children using drugs. "It's inherent within the village," he said. "My biggest fear is that these are kids who are known to me and I know their parents. It's a worry that if anything tragic happened...I haven't told the parents. If any parents want to come to me and say to me 'is it my Johnny?' then they can.

He said he hoped by highlighting the issue it might stop the problem getting worse.

"We are just concerned residents and parents trying to make sure that what is happening in this village doesn't escalate."

Inspector Paul Clynch, of Ilkley Police, rejected the council's claim that not enough was being done. "It's being taken seriously," he said. "In the last 12 months three or four search warrants have been executed in the village, which have led to arrests and, in some cases, convictions."

But he said he couldn't comment on whether police were targeting the village or on the number of 'stops and searches' carried out there.

"Stop and searches are carried out throughout the division because it's a major tool in the fight against crime. It's a good way of catching people in the act. Drugs are a problem throughout the division. We target anywhere within the division."