Police confirm cannabis use and other acts of anti-social behaviour in a rural town are "definitely on the radar", after a resident expressed misgivings over how seriously his concerns were being taken.

Uppingham beat officer PC Jamie Stott said he is aware of people loitering and engaging in "low-level" drug use at specific locations in the town, adding that he has moved people on several times over the last few weeks.

A resident, who did not want to be identified, told the LDRS that cannabis use has become "quite rife" in Uppingham. He said that since the market town is considered to be "nice and quiet", authorities are not taking drug use seriously.

"People are quite intimidated, and we don't think the police are doing a great deal," he added.

PC Stott said he has sought to broaden the police response, while working with other local authorities to occupy offenders elsewhere.

"It is one of our main priorities in the area," he said. "As beat officer it's my responsibility to go to these locations and move people on, but I have also requested support from places such as Melton, to carry out additional patrols.

"If I'm not around, say if I'm on a day shift or I have a day off, I don't want residents to think they are forgotten about.

"There is a small group we are aware of, and we're working closely with the council to engage with these young people, to divert them into something else. There is a lot of background stuff going on that the public might not be aware of. These things take time; they don't happen overnight.

Download our Nub News App!

- It’s FREE and available now
- Breaking news notifications
- Your Town in Your Pocket

"We are aware of it and we're trying to tackle this issue, but we want people to feel as though they can report it to us, either online or over the phone. If people don't tell us then we can't act on it."