BRAZEN drug dealers have been peddling their poison right outside a young mum's front door - and police did nothing for two days.

The horrified mum of two immediately telephoned police with a description of the pusher's car while the deal was taking place in Ribbleton on Friday afternoon. But she was told by police staff answering her call: "All our officers are busy. We will send someone around later."

Later was 48 hours later - longer than the 15 minute target, set by the police, for officers to arrive at an emergency.

She told the Police and Community Forum meeting on Monday: "It's no use educating children in school when you can see what is going on and nothing is being done about it.

"Are my children supposed to grow up thinking taking drugs is right or wrong?"

The woman, from Grange, Ribbleton, claims she saw a man take a package out of his jacket and hand it through a car window in exchange for money - in broad daylight. "It was quite obvious what was going on," she said.

Superintendent Mike Tonge, Commander of Preston Division, told the woman at the meeting: "I will find out why you didn't get a policeman out at the time. If we were too busy then I think you deserve an explanation." But he added covert operations were more successful than targeting individual dealers.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.