CALLS have been made for the release of funds to pay for two youth outreach workers in Pewsey to help tackle the problem of delinquency in the village.

The parish council has become concerned at the level of vandalism and damage being committed. Police are concerned, too, but have said the problems can often be laid at the door of young people from other villages who head for Pewsey in the evenings.

Pewsey's police commander, Sgt John Coppen, has said his officers are aware that young people go to Pewsey, telling their parents they are going to the youth club but, instead, hang about in the village causing problems.

Talks have taken place between the police, Wiltshire County Council youth service, the Youth Offending team and members of the local police consultative group.

The best answer, it has been agreed, is to employ two part-time outreach youth workers.

The Kennet Community Safety Partnership can obtain anti-social behaviour intervention funding from the Home Office, Coun Denis Sweasey, chairman of the local police consultative group told the parish council on Tuesday. He said the idea was to get the outreach youth officers to work with the young people and direct them into more worthwhile activities.

Coun Sweasey urged that the funding should be made available as soon as possible to fund the youth workers who, he suggested, would be employed for six months initially to gauge the success of the idea.

It's envisaged the youth workers would work for three hours on Friday evenings with the occasional visit on Saturdays. He said the community safety partnership had an obligation under the Crime and Disorder Act to support the proposal.