Boozed-up youngsters who gather at the district’s tourist hotspots on sizzling summer days are the target of a new police crackdown.

Officers are stepping up patrols in an operation designed to reduce anti-social behaviour and illegal drinking.

The new initiative, launched by Airedale and North Bradford Police, will see officers paying close attention to the riverside area in Ilkley, where there has been an upsurge in anti-social behaviour on sunny days in recent years.

Officers from the Wharefdale and Craven Neighbourhood Policing Team say they will increase their presence where and when they are most needed to curb any rowdy behaviour and to confiscate alcohol being drunk illegally.

The operation follows proactive work in recent months by police and partner agencies in another of the district’s tourist hotspots, Haworth, notably around the park where youths had been causing trouble.

In Ilkley, the increased patrols began over the last bank holiday weekend, which proved to be “quiet and uneventful” despite the hot weather, according to a police spokesman.

Police bosses are hoping the extra patrols will “nip the issue in the bud.”

Inspector Sue Sanderson of the Wharfedale and Craven NPT, said: “While we want to promote tourism in Ilkley we do receive an increase in calls from this area over the summer due to a minority behaving anti-socially, usually due to alcohol.

“What we are doing this year is providing a more flexible service to step up patrols when necessary to allow residents and the majority of day trippers to have a safer and peaceful day.”

The Wharefdale and Craven NPT can be contacted on (01274) 475301.

  • Read the full story in Thursday's T&A