A surge in anti-social behaviour that has left residents of a North Yorkshire 'terrified' is being addressed, officials have said.
Over the last couple of weeks, one local councillor said he had been 'inundated' with reports from worried people in Helmsley.
However, Cllr George Jabbour said he was working together with Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake to represent the concerns that have been raised with them to the appropriate agencies.
He added: “Until two weeks ago, I had not received any complaints about anti-social behaviour activities in Helmsley since the public meeting that Kevin Hollinrake MP and I organised earlier this year.
“However, over the past two weeks, I have been inundated with reports from worried local residents, including terrified elderly people.
“I would like to reassure the community that their concerns were immediately escalated to the Police, Yorkshire Housing and other agencies, and are being addressed.”
Kevin Hollinrake MP said: “These ongoing problems are simply unacceptable and it demonstrates that they cannot be properly managed in small towns that have no police presence or other critical services.
North Yorkshire is a huge county.
Treating small market towns like Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside and Pickering as interchangeable with a large urban area for allocation purposes ignores the reality that they simply do not have the services in place to support families with complex needs.
That is a disservice to those families and to the settled community around them.
"I am pressing North Yorkshire Council to consider local lettings plans for our market towns, to strengthen coordination between housing, community safety, children's services and SEND, and to be honest about the evidence base.
When our local Police Inspector told a packed public meeting that he was seeing a clear pattern, that cannot be waved away.
"I want to thank the Neighbourhood Watch, Councillor Greg White, and everyone who has taken part so far.
This work will continue until residents see real change.”
A large number of residents in Helmsley attended a meeting in July to raise their concerns over anti-social behaviour with several public agencies.
The meeting was organised by Mr Hollinrake MP and Cllr Jabbour.
Concerns were raised that families were being relocated to smaller market towns that did not have access to the services they needed.
Angela Havens, Head of Communities at Yorkshire Housing, said: “We're aware of concerns that have been raised about anti-social behaviour in Helmsley and understand the impact that issues like this can have on residents.
“We want people to feel safe in their homes and communities, and we've been working closely with North Yorkshire Police and other partners over recent months to take action where needed.
“While we cannot comment on individual cases or personal circumstances, we want to reassure residents that these concerns have been taken seriously, and we'll continue working with our partners to address the issues raised.”
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: “At the meeting in July matters were raised relating to instances in Helmsley for which a number of people were detained by North Yorkshire Police.
There has been a marked reduction in similar instances of crime and antisocial behaviour in the months since then.
Anyone who is subject to crime or antisocial behaviour in their neighbourhood should report it as soon as they can.
If a crime is in progress, please call us on 999.
To report something that has happened but the suspects are no longer there, please report online via our website or call 101.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online via their website.