* A gap left by the missing paving stone on the library steps.
Anti-social
behaviour in the town entered a new phase when one of the paving stones on the
steps leading to the town’s library and Tourist Information Centre was ripped
up and carried away over the weekend.
And a county councillor for the area has called on North Wales's chief constable and Police and Crime Commissioner to come up with a strategy to combat what she has called "unacceptable" levels of public disorder in Llangollen.
The gap left
by the paving stone theft was covered by safety barriers earlier today (Monday).
The incident
has been playing out on Facebook since early morning and someone commented that
they saw teenagers carrying it towards the bus stop around 6.40 in the evening,
although they don’t say which evening.
The person
who originally posted about the stone on Facebook said later: “There is CCTV
footage of teenagers skateboarding etc on the steps most of the evening and
leaving lots of litter.”
This
afternoon another person posted that they had seen the missing paving stone on
the steps leading down to the canal on the way up to the school.
There have
been a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour in the town in past weeks,
including reports of abuse of staff and theft from local businesses.
Llangollen county councillor Karen Edwards said: "As the end of the summer season draws to a close
the hot weather of last weekend brought many visitors to the town. Incidents of
anti-social behaviour, vandalism and theft occurred, some of which have been
reported on social media and to me directly.
"Whilst the town’s economy relies mainly on tourism
, we also find that it can bring to the town the worst elements of todays
society. This is unacceptable for residents, challenging for our local
businesses and bad for tourism.
"As one of your elected representatives I have
written to the Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner to
highlight this issue. The police have a responsibility to deal with matters of
public disorder and to protect, assist and reassure the community.
"There needs to be a far better strategy to respond
to these problems when they occur, and I have asked for a meeting with the
Chief Constable to progress this matter. I will of course keep you informed of
the response I receive in due course.
"We all have a stake in ensuring that the
town in which we live remains a great place where decency and community spirit
prevails over the things which would blight our society. It will be an uphill
struggle, but complacency is not an option."
Denbighshire
County Council has been asked to comment.
* A safety barrier was erected around the gap later.
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