GLUE sniffers are spoiling one of Town’s top beauty spots. Evidence of solvent abuse has been spotted around the bathing pools at La Vallette, but the police said that they might be virtually powerless to intervene.

Inspector Trevor Coleman said glue sniffing was distasteful, but if the youths were behaving themselves and not causing trouble it was not a crime.

‘Morally it is not very good and perhaps it is a bit antisocial,’ he said.

If very young children were involved or the police had particular concerns for their safety, they would be able to act.

‘If those partaking got very intoxicated then we could intervene in the same way as we would dealing with people that are drunk.’

Police were not called to the Vallette area at the weekend.

St Peter Port deputy and junior constable Jenny Tasker said, as a politician, the reports caused her real concern.

But she was not prepared to comment further in her parish role.

‘If we are going to take the matter further we will need to discuss it.’

The constables were scheduled to meet this morning and Deputy Tasker said she would bring up the issue.

Drug abuse experts said that glue sniffing was not as prevalent as it once was.

Drug Concern manager Tracey Rear said she could count the number of present incidents on one hand. Nonetheless, its dangers are strongly highlighted in school visits.

‘Glue sniffing seems to occur in short sharp bursts. We always seem to get a spurt at the start of the summer and we don’t really understand why,’ said Miss Rear.

Inspector Coleman said: ‘Unfortunately there are still incidences occurring, but no more or less than in recent times.’

Drug Strategy co-ordinator Maria Eggleston agreed that it seemed to come around in phases.

‘As part of Drug Strategy we include education on glue sniffing and substance abuse,’ she said.

‘People who do this tend to find out-of-the-way places. It is a shame if they a spoiling a nice spot.’

Miss Rear was confident that enough was being done to educate the young of the dangers of solvent abuse.

The police raised the issue in education work in primary schools and Drug Concern tackled it with every secondary school year group.

‘In Year 7 we focus around the message of the dangers of solvent abuse. After that it is included in the rest of the programme for every other year group, so if questions come up we can address them.’

Drug Concern seminars are incorporated within individual schools’ Personal Social Health Education programmes.

‘Every week one of our team is in a particular school – it is very comprehensive,’ said Miss Rear.