Hidden shame of seedy drinkers and junkies

Gangs are now abusing solvents and taking drugs prescribed to people with high blood pressure and mental illness in Wishaw town centre.

It comes weeks after a Wishaw Press investigation last month highlighted the groups of men, some in their 40s, sheltered in rundown alleys and backcourts to consume vast quantities of booze, smoke cannabis and take heroin behind shops and businesses in the Main Street.

We revealed the shocking size and scale of the problem at the dens where dozens of empty cans of super-strength beer and cider, empty bottles of Eldorado (a brand of fortified wine), vodka and alcopops, were left discarded on the ground following nights of drinking in public.

The hotspots site on both sides of the Main Street have been no-go areas for terrified residents who are too scared to walk through these alleys and lane at night in fear of being attacked or mugged. When many of the shops finish their trading at 6pm, their backcourts are later that night transformed into drinking dens for alcoholics and junkies to escape the eyes of the public and the police and other authorities.

They gather in make-shift shelters beside bin sheds and metal railings to escape from the rain and cold temperatures to begin their night of drinking booze and causing trouble.

Alan Love, secretary of Central Wishaw Community Council, said:“People are still using these areas to drink and take drugs.

“They are out of the sight of the public, out of the sight of the police and are drinking there all day and all night.

“One morning there was evidence of empty deodorants and hair spray aerosols and empty containers for prescribed medication including anti psychotics and also amlodipine which is used by people who have high blood pressure.

“NHS Lanarkshire have ‘A Parents Guide to Drug Use and a Parent’s Guide to Alcohol Use.’ This should be made available in public buildings. This literature would make parents more aware of what illicit drugs look like, their effect and legal status. ”

Sergeant Alex Pllu, of Wishaw Police Office, said: “We increased patrols by officers in uniform and in plain clothes and I have spoken to staff at a number of businesses in the town centre who said they have not experienced any of the previously reported disorder in the past couple of weeks.

“Officers from the Local Problem Solving Team will continue to patrol this area to ensure anyone causing disorder or engaged in antisocial behaviour is quickly dealt with.”

The council will raise the matter at the next Wishaw Local Area Partnership meeting held later this year.