POLICE are promising to take decisive action towards offenders who are committing minor but nuisance offences in Skipton and the surrounding villages.

Officers have stated that a concerted effort will be taken to catch petty offenders, and if necessary bring them before a court, following a spate of milk thefts and minor vandalism in the area.

District councillor Jean Harrison, of Marton Road, Gargrave, has spoken out about the frequent acts of vandalism in Gargrave, which have included damage to floral displays and the summer seat.

Last autumn, members of Gargrave Parish Council, residents and children from Gargrave Primary School took part in a community effort to plant daffodil bulbs donated by the parish council and the Twin Locks Garden Centre.

These bulbs were planted along the grass verges of the A65, the churchyard and the river-banks.

However, on St Patrick's night, vandals smashed clumps of the bulbs, which were just flowering along the riverside off South Street.

Coun Harrison added that more serious acts such as car crime and theft were, in her opinion, also on the increase in the village.

She said: "Until we have a police presence in Gargrave, I fear we shall lose the battle. It comes hard to those of us who have a deep sense of civic pride."

She added that in the past the police used to walk up the High Street in the village and would give anyone misbehaving a "good clip around the ear".

"I think the situation has got worse in recent years and people are all the time reporting back to me about the need for more police presence.

In Skipton, business is bad for milk lady Gillian Metcalfe who is having to contend with thieves stealing bottles of milk within minutes of her putting them on doorsteps.

Gillian who begins work at 2.30am said that the problem had become worse recently and she had had to find places to hide the bottles at some properties.

"People have the cheek now to go into back yards and pinch it from there," she said.

"It is an inconvenience to everyone. They then have to ring me up or go out and buy some more.

"The milk round is a great British tradition the whole idea is for it to be there on a morning," Gillian added.

She added that she had spent 12 years, and thousands of pounds, to build up her business, and she was now losing trade as a result of the thefts.

Acting Inspector Stuart Mackleston said there were five recorded incidents of milk theft recently in Broughton Road, Middletown and the town centre.

He said: "An instruction has been put out to all patrols to concentrate their efforts to detect people that are stealing.

"Anyone found taking milk will be arrested on suspicion of theft and may have to appear before the magistrates."

Acting Insp Mackleston also told Mrs Harrison at a meeting of North Yorkshire Police Authority on Monday that action would be taken as part of a new police operation just launched to target people causing disturbances in the evenings.

He added that extra staff would be provided when possible to patrol the area.

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