RESIDENTS in Over Hulton have been told to report sightings of dealers to police after drug paraphernalia was found in the streets.

At a meeting of Hulton Area Forum, councillors and police heard concerns about people taking and dealing drugs in the local neighbourhood.

Resident Dorothy Syddall said she wanted to know what was being done to tackle the crime.

She said: “I found cannabis in the street. At first I thought it was a mobile phone but it turned out to be a set of little scales used for weighing cannabis.

“There seems to be people hanging around the ginnel that cuts through from Parkwood Drive to Newbrook Road.

She added: “You can just see them and know what they are doing. I’ve been here 47 years and never seen a problem like this before.”

Other residents also reported sightings of drug taking and possible dealers in and around Fletcher Street.

Neighbourhood beat officer Matt Blackeley said there had not been any major problems with drugs in the area reported to the local policing team but encouraged people to call 101 if they spotted any problems.

The area around Rutherford Drive had also been identified as a possible problem area for drugs.

He added: “Residents in Park Lodge are in a prime location because of the access to Wigan, Westhoughton and coming straight off the motorway, which is unfortunate.

“Often when we get a report of dealing by the time we’ve got there, they are off straight on to the motorway.

“Residents can help us out by getting registration plate numbers to us. They are put into an automatic registration plate recognition system so if they are caught on camera or stopped by police we can get them. It’s a long, drawn-out process to tackle.”

There was also good news as Mr Blackeley reported a drop in crime figures from the last three months compared to last year.

The number of domestic burglaries had gone from 17 in 2015 to just four this year, while burglary from other properties such as sheds, garages and outhouses, dropped from 13 to 10.

Theft of vehicles had also fallen from 12 last year to nine this year and thefts from vehicles had also dropped slightly from 19 to 16. Criminal damaged was another area showing improvement as committed cases fell from 34 to 29 over the last three months.

The fall in crime figures was put down to a change in the neighbourhood policing team with more officers sharing shifts and spending more time within the community.

Officers have received reports of off road bikes in the Cutacre and Daubhill areas and asked residents to report details.