Villagers are being urged to take part in a new crime-busting scheme.

Residents of Denholme are being encouraged to join a new network of Neighbourhood Watch schemes around the village.

The aim is to stamp out the wave of crime which brought the village unwelcome national media attention last year. The village was put under the spotlight when Det Con Gary Gregory - a policeman working in Greater Manchester who lives in Denholme - accused West Yorkshire Police of failing to tackle the problem of drug gangs in the village.

A greater Neighbourhood Watch presence was suggested at a meeting between members of Denholme action group and Denholme mayor cllr Russell Driver.

Since then, Denholme town council has joined forces with the police and members of the action group to coordinate the project. Cllr Driver is appealing for people to come forward and volunteer as watch co-ordinators in a bid to kick-start the initiative.

The town council has drawn up 21 areas around Denholme which comprise various streets and which all need a co-ordinator.

Cllr Driver says: "We would like to see as many people as possible coming forward so that we can make these areas smaller than they are at the moment. What we are looking for is someone in each area who is prepared to put in a bit of time and effort to go out there and get other people in the locality involved."

According to Cllr Driver, training for volunteers will be provided by the police at a meeting which is provisionally pencilled in for the middle of Feb-ruary.

The town council is hoping to finalise its list of coordinators by the end of January.

Anyone wishing to volunteer can contact Cllr Driver on 01274 832934, or they can leave a sealed envelope marked Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator in the Mechanics Institute.

Co-ordinators are required for the following areas:

Beech Avenue, Beech Drive, Lane Top; Whalley Lane, Wood Nook, The Brow Cottages; Ogden Crescent, Ogden Lane; Keighley Road including Edge Bottom, Morningside, Blue Hill, Amble Tonia, Edge End; Foster Park Road, to include Lodge Gate Close; Pleasant View, Hill Crest View, Hill Crest Drive; Hill Crest Mount, Hill Crest Avenue, Hill Crest Road; Foster Park, Foster Park View, Foster Park Grove, Reservoir House, Kitchmore House; Main Road, to include Lodge Gate, School Street, Shirley Street; Parkinson Road to include Buck Street, Milton Street, Clapham Street, Knowles Street, Stradmore Road; Old Road, Fairfield, Albion Street; Carperley Crescent, Station Road, Cliffe Terrace; Minorca Mount, George Street, Mary Street; Jane Street, John Street, Ann Street, William Street; New Street, South Street, Chapel Street, Main Road; Longhouse Lane, Longlands Drive; Longhouse Drive; Foster Square, Denton Row, Tunnel Street, Well Street, Mount Pleasant, Gladstone Place, New Road; Denholme Clough; Denholme Gate.

Denholme tip latest, page 15

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.