COUNCILLORS have called for a full-time police presence in Middleton St George after teenage vandals pulled down a lamp post.

At Monday's parish council meeting, members criticised the lack of full-time policing in the village.

Coun Mike McBride said: "I do not accept that they can only offer a demand presence in the village. That was before it became a small town. There is clearly a need for a full-time presence here.

"We have offered the facility of the community centre - why can't the police come and talk to us about that? It's not good enough."

Members saw photographs of the damage to the concrete lamp post in the water park showing live wires dangerously exposed. It has since been made safe.

The vandalism happened on Saturday night.

Coun Martin Walker said incidents happened when gangs of youths had been drinking alcohol.

"That is what causes this damage - when they are tanked up," he said.

PC Boyd Rowe, beat officer, said police went out each Friday and Saturday night. John Angus, a new police community support officer, had also just been deployed.

"We go out early and seize all the alcohol we can find. Later on, kids who are found drunk are taken home to their parents or arrested," he said.

Coun Doris Jones, chairman, said the youngsters were not interested in youth clubs and discos.

"We have tried again and again and they have thrown it back in our face."

She had asked for a senior police officer to attend the meeting but had been told none was available.

"We, as a parish and a village, feel we have been let down by the police. I want these kids to be absolutely terrified of coming to Middleton St George drinking."

She would ask for a senior officer to attend the next meeting.

Later, Insp Sue Collingwood said that police support officer John Angus had been hand-picked for his good track record in dealing with anti-social behaviour and youth issues.

He was part of a long-term approach which needed time to come to fruition.

"If we put all the police in Darlington into Middleton St George, we would have no anti-social behaviour there and the rest of the town would be unpoliced, and the next night, it would be back to square one," she said.

"This is something that has been on-going for a long period of time and has built up over years not months. It is unrealistic to think that the police can solve this overnight."

She said parents, the community and central government had a responsibility to provide education and activities for young people. The problem could not be solved by policing alone.