LEYBURN'S market shelter should remain closed as one way of making tramp Mel Bird leave the town, Lady Bolton told the D&S Times this week.

"He has become the bane of some people's lives," she said. She described how some women in Leyburn had difficulty posting the office mail because he was so obnoxious to them. He now sits with his dogs beside the post box.

"He didn't used to be so rude," Lady Bolton explained. "You used to be able to have an intelligent chat with him. But he loves the publicity and being a celebrity, and his behaviour is so much worse now."

She was shocked to hear that Mr Bird had been proudly signing copies of the Daily Mail on Saturday in which she was incorrectly quoted as stating: "They won't drive him out".

She said: "I told the Daily Mail reporter I no longer supported him," she said. "But it regurgitated the old story."

Lady Bolton said she had been incorrectly described as a supporter of Mr Bird last year when she opposed the closure of the market shelter by the town council.

"My original stance was not to support Mel but to object to the closure of the shelter because of one unfortunate person. But now I think the shelter should be closed because he is being so obnoxious and if that is one way to get him to move on."

She said his behaviour was now so bad many avoided him and added that people should report incidents involving him or his drinking cronies to the police.

"That is the only way the police can help to move him on."

Lord and Lady Bolton worked hard earlier this year to support the first Dales Festival of Food, and as members of Leyburn and Mid-Wensleydale Business Association, have heard how Mr Bird's bad behaviour is affecting the town.

On Monday, Lady Bolton sent this statement to Leyburn Town Council: "I do not support Mr Bird and have complete sympathy with the town council and members of the public. I think it is time he moved on. He does not live on Bolton Estate."

At the town council meeting, District Coun Terry Jones offered to follow up the suggestion made at last week's public meeting on anti-social behaviour that maybe council tax could be levied on the barn used by Mr Bird.

Councillors said they would wait and see if the police could also use existing laws to resolve the problem. They agreed the meeting had been useful since it gave members of the public an opportunity to discuss things that concerned them in the town.

* Full town council report next week