PROPOSALS to curb drug dealing and anti-social behaviour in Mossley have been welcomed.
The matter was on the agenda at a meeting of Mossley Town Council which backed new initiatives.
Town councillor Stephen Homer revealed a proposal to install a barrier gate near the bowling green in Mossley Park to prevent vehicle access by drug dealers.
There has also been a problem with vandalism in the park, which has again received green flag status, with one of the new picnic tables upturned and a newly planted apple tree uprooted.
Cllr Homer explained: “Police have told me the barrier is a great idea and we are in negotiations with Tameside Council about it.
“The sticking point in who locks and unlocks it, something we are still exploring.”
He added police patrols have increased in the park and have been met with success as more people have been apprehended for dealing drugs.
Cllr Homer said: “A number of behaviour contracts have been issued and things seem to have settled.
“It is important if anybody witnesses anything, they must report it to the police.”
Town Council chair Cllr Frank Travis described the spike in drug and anti-social behaviour issues in the town as ‘unacceptable’.
Cllr Travis supported exclusion orders but added they must be part of a wider initiative for the town.
“If the orders are just for the park, it simply moves the problem somewhere else,” he said.