CRAVEN'S police chief has spoken out in a bid to reassure the public that Skipton is not suffering from an epidemic of hard drugs.

Chief Inspector Nick Smedley says detectives have no evidence to suggest the town is awash with heroin.

But he has pledged to investigate claims by North Yorkshire County Councillor Alex Bentley that drug dealing was destroying people's lives in Skipton.

Last week, Coun Bentley claimed in the Craven Herald he had received a death threat following his anti-drugs campaign.

Chief Insp Smedley said this week: "I have arranged for Mr Bentley to be seen with a view to obtaining the information he has collated, and also to investigate the alleged death threat, which hitherto, we had not had reported to us."

He added: "Skipton, like Harrogate, sits in close proximity to the large urban conurbations of West Yorkshire, and does suffer a degree of drug abuse spreading into our area. This has been the case for some years.

"I can say that the police are extremely proactive in tackling the problems. In the last 12 months, for example, we have run 26 proactive operations, specifically targeting Class A drugs, and have seized £4,000 worth of heroin.

"Further the force has introduced a dedicated drugs squad, which will provide extra capacity to tackle problems.

"Heroin first appeared in Skipton seven years ago and our perception is that the situation is no worse than in previous years.

"We have witnessed a decrease in the number of people arrested for supply of Cass A drugs, and a decrease in crimes recorded.

"In terms of information and intelligence since December 1 2001, we have received only two reports from the public, expressing concern about drug dealing.

"This certainly does not seem to reflect drug problems of epidemic proportion. Should anyone witness any such activity, I would encourage them to contact us immediately."

Anyone with information about drug abuse should telephone Skipton police on 01756 793377.