Call for action over 'wild west' Ludlow town centre

Ludlow Town Council discussed problems with anti-social behaviour in the town at a meeting last night in which Deputy Mayor Councillor Paul Draper said there had been three bins set alight on Dark Lane in recent months.

But Councillor Glenn Ginger said the problem was "Ludlow-wide".

"Corve Street is to all intents and purposes like the wild west on Fridays and Saturdays," he said. He said there were scores of people coming out of pubs in the early hours of the morning. You can't sleep, you don't know if your door's going to be rattled, you don't know what's going to come through the door."

He said letter boxes were being used as urinals and takeaways discarded everywhere.

"We get windows smashed up and down Corve Street. Most weekends one window is smashed. There is no police presence."

Councillor Paul Kemp, who runs the Rose and Crown and the Bridge Inn and is chair of Ludlow's pubwatch scheme said the problem was with some town pubs breaching their licensing.

"There are clear breaks of the law, that's why bins are being set alight, that's why we've got vandals running down Mill Street," he said.

"It will only get worse if nothing is done.

"Both my pubs will be shut on New Year's Eve for exactly this reason.

"We need to put pressure on police.

County councillor for Ludlow, Vivienne Parry said: "We have got a problem in town, we've got some young people who are causing trouble all over the place." But, she added: "I've talked to some of these people, they're bored out of their minds, if we could possibly do something to help them." Councillor Colin Sheward said it was not as simple as it seemed. "What's happening in Dark Lane and what's happening in Mill Street are not the same thing," he said.

"I'd imagine a lot of the people coming out the pubs late are not youths. There has always been this element in Ludlow. The youth thing is identifiable, but there are other issues here as well."

Councillors agreed to consult with other groups at the Ludlow Community Alcohol Partnership at a meeting today, as well get the views of residents. They also agreed to invite police and licensees to meet with the council to discuss enforcement of licensing.