RESIDENTS from Annarley Fold attended last night's Parish Council meeting to complain about the gangs of youngsters congregating in the ginnel between Church Square and Annarley Fold and on the wall outside the Reading Rooms.

Empty cans of beer and vodka bottles are just some of the debris left behind by the gangs. Garden walls are being used as urinals.

It was also reported that elderly residents and young women working locally felt intimidated by the large gangs of youths when they walk across Church Square.

The Police Community Support Officer for the rural area, Dave Johnson, and PC Glenn Grey will be directing their resources over the next few weeks in order to eradicate this problem.

They will be all the more successful if residents work in partnership with them. Could parents please ensure they know where their young teenage children are each night and what they are getting up to.

Would residents living in the vicinity of the ginnel please report incidents of concern to either Dave on 472912 or Glenn on 423201.

Parish Councillors were amazed that the recent controversial show performed at The Mechanics, Puppetry of the Penis, had been a sell-out with 422 people attending on the night. The Mechanics staff had worked hard to ensure that everyone who bought a ticket for the show had been made aware of its content and a warning had been placed in the Mechanic's autum programme. Nevertheless, the performance generated a profit of approximately £700 on the evening so the council tax payers of Worsthorne with Hurstwood did not subsidise the event.

Borough Councillors reported that the Council is looking into the possibility of closing public toilets and electronically recorded information on usage is being undertaken. Parish Councillor Alan Lawson pointed out that a lack of public conveniences in Hurstwood causes tremendous problems to residents as visitors have, on many occasions, no alternative other than using bushes and walls to protect their modesty, or knocking on resident's doors requesting the use of their toilet.

He reminded the Parish Council that residents of Hurswood had lobbied for public conveniences to be provided in Hurstwood to cater for the needs of visitors. Furthermore, when the public toilet in Worsthorne had been closed a few years ago similar problems had occurred in the village.

Parish Councillors would welcome the views of residents on the closure of Worsthorne public toilet.