A SHOCKING level of fear from drunken violence in the Ilkley area has been revealed in a major new survey.

More people in the Ilkley area worry about alcohol-related rowdiness than in the rest of Bradford, the survey has shown.

Around 30 per cent of people questioned regarded drunken rowdiness as a fairly or very big problem in Ilkley.

But Ilkley's police inspector, Alison Bennett, denied that drunken violence on the streets was a major problem compared to other areas.

Insp Bennett said: "Obviously there are incidents and clearly it is more prevalent in the town centre where we have a concentration of public houses and people drinking in the town. It is not as bad as most areas I have worked in, in the past."

Ilkley district councillor Anne Hawkesworth said she was not surprised by the survey's findings and reiterated her call for closed circuit television cameras to be installed to help solve the problem.

"On Friday and Saturday nights it probably does reflect the problem. It is at a level that residents of Ilkley do not find acceptable - especially out on the streets during the summer, said Coun Hawkesworth.

The police said they were determined to stamp out violence on the streets of Ilkley after another incident in Skipton Road on the Bank Holiday weekend where a youth was attacked after a row at a take-away restaurant.

The victim was seen arguing with a group of five or six other youths. As he walked away, he was chased by one of them. A further confrontation followed and the victim was kicked while lying on the ground.

The picture of a town under siege emerged from the survey designed to help plan future health services and policies in the district.

It was commissioned by Bradford Council, Bradford Community Health Trust, Bradford Health Authority and Bradford and District Training and Enterprise Council. The findings will be passed on to the Bradford Drug and Alcohol Action Team.

A panel of 2,500 residents of Bradford were asked questions about drugs and alcohol to provide an indication of their effect on the health of the city's residents.

While many of the findings for the Ilkley area were as expected of an affluent town on the edge of the metropolitan district, the level of fear caused by drunken rowdiness was far higher than expected.

In most other areas highlighted by the survey, such as illicit drug use, drug deaths, glue sniffing, and drug related crime, Ilkley residents reported on average a lower concern than other areas of Bradford. But the results from alcohol-related rowdiness bucked the trend.

Insp Bennett said: "There is certainly not a major problem in the area. Friday is busy and we do have incidents of disorder but it is not out of control in any shape or form.

"It is not a continual thing that happens week in and week out. Most of the problems we do have are caused by people from outside Ilkley."

She added: "It would be wrong to say it isn't a problem because there is from time to time."

Insp Bennett said that the recent Pubwatch Scheme, under which trouble causers were banned from every pub in the town, was set up to deal with violent drunks. She said that the last meeting had reported no new problems for licensees.

After a spate of attacks on young people, concerned residents established Parents Against Crime on the Streets (PACS), chaired by BBC TV presenter NIk Wood, who lives in Ilkley.

At the time, Mr Wood said: "The town seems to be under siege from violent criminals at the moment. Just talking to people around in the community seems to prompt anger and frustration."

l A man police want to question about the latest incident is described as a white male in his mid-twenties, about 6ft tall, with light-coloured hair.

He was wearing a blue jumper with two white horizontal stripes.

Insp Mick Hopwood, of Keighley Police, said: "This kind of behaviour is just not acceptable and we treat it very seriously indeed. We appeal to anyone with information about this incident to come forward." He said the victim was not seriously injured in the attack.

Anyone with information can contact Ilkley Police on 01943 601060. The Police Crimestoppers number is 0800 555 111.

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