A GRANDFATHER has spoken of his concerns about drug taking near a village school.

Community councillor John O’Keefe told colleagues he caught a group of five youths taking drugs near Park Community Primary School in Llay.

He told Llay Community Council: “I went to get my grandson from school and they were standing there taking drugs at 3.10pm in the afternoon, about 10 feet from the school.

“Then we had to walk back through the woods and they were still there. It is ridiculous.

“I don’t want children aged seven and eight going from school watching adults taking drugs. It’s not right. You hear about this in Wrexham town centre – we don’t want it in Llay.

“Are we catching anybody or do they just do what they want?”

Cllr O’Keefe told PCSO Andy Harris, who was at the meeting, that he had not reported the incident to police, adding: “I have phoned before and nothing happens. They [the youths] are there at 3.10pm and 3.25pm – they’re gone by half past.”

PCSO Harris told the meeting he had personally caught a person taking drugs and they had been dealt with.

He encouraged councillors to report the incidents, adding: “I know your frustrations.

“I know you’re saying we’re not coming out but you do need to ring us.

“If you phone and we do not get there, but you phone us again and it is similar timings we will have a pattern so we can make sure we are in the area at the time but if you don’t phone us we won’t.”

Cllr Rob Walsh told the meeting: “We do have a massive littering problem but around the rockery there are also drug bags.

“Litter on its own is bad enough but when we see litter that has clearly been from the use of drugs that is a concern.”

PCSO Harris added: “They are smoking cannabis, and it does tend to come in small bags.

“When we send someone, if we actually walk down and they see us, they chuck it – we do struggle to try and catch them off guard, that is one of the problems.”