A JUSTICE of the peace today expressed fears that parents could soon wage war on the scourge of drug dealing by taking the law into their own hands.

Michael McShea, who is also a local councillor, is worried that easy availability of drugs in his Stacksteads ward of Rossendale may cause parents to confront the dealers themselves.

He said: "The drug problem in Stacksteads and Bacup is very worrying. A lot of parents have come to me and expressed their fears and it is something which needs to be addressed.

"My big fear is that if some sort of action isn't set in motion, parents will take the law into their own hands.

"I am a magistrate and very supportive of the police, but I have aired my concerns about this issue with them.

"Stacksteads is a small community, very close knit, and everybody here knows who the dealers are and where they live, so the police must know as well.

"I realise it is a difficult problem and the police need lots of evidence but something has to be done."

Chief Supt Mike Griffin admitted that drug crime could not be wiped out overnight but said that it was high on the police agenda.

He said: "An operation in Rossendale a few months ago resulted in a lot of street level drug dealers being taken out.

"But as magistrates and police know, suspicion of drug dealing is no good. We need proof.

"We encourage people to let us know about their concerns, which help us to know that the suspects we have in mind are the same ones the public are aware of.

"What people have to realise is it takes a long time for us to get together all the evidence we need to get a conviction.

"But the majority of drug dealing arrests in this division result in guilty pleas because the evidence is so strong they have no option but to plead guilty."

Chief Supt Griffin revealed there were ongoing operations to tackle dealing in Rossendale.

He said: "We are not going to wipe out the problem overnight. People know that as one drug dealer is taken off the streets, another sets up because of the lucrative nature of the business.

"That is why crown courts are jailing people for long periods."

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