THE new recycling centre in Tenbury is proving a big hit with criminals.

A police report has shown that the town is suffering from a catalogue of car crime, anti-social behaviour and theft.

Car batteries are at the top of the hit list for criminals.

In just a few weeks since it opened, 15 car batteries have been stolen from the new household recycling site on the outskirts of the town.

This was the continuation of a problem at the recycling centre when it was located on Palmer’s Meadow in the town centre.

Mark Willis, Mayor of Tenbury, presented the annual police report to a packed annual town meeting held in The Pump Rooms.

It showed that drink and drugs are also a feature of the life of the town.

In one incident, a young man was found to be riding his motorbike while under the influence of drugs. He was arrested and the machine was seized.

There have also been other drug-related crimes in the town and this has included two women who have been arrested and they are going through the criminal justice process.

Speeding remains a major concern in parts of the town and the police have dealt with three cases of drink-driving the past 12 months that have resulted in convictions and the drivers involved being banned.

As previously reported in the Advertiser, St Michael’s is a speeding blackspot but speed checks in the area have caught just two drivers going above the limit in the past year.

Further meetings are planned to try to get motorists to slow down and these may include the use of electronic signals.

Vandalism has continued to be a problem especially in the town centre and on Palmer’s Meadow.

Police have now agreed that they will mount late-night patrols in the area where possible. The problems have include vandalism, late-night drinking, including leaving broken bottles of alcohol, and noise.

But in the past 12 months there has been no repeat of more serious incidents in recent years that included major damage to fencing and a play area as well as, in one case, a car on the town council car park being overturned.

Shops in the towns have been the victim of thieves and during the year there were a number of cases of shop-lifting resulting in arrests.

Parts of the town have been hit by burglars and criminal damage including two houses in Mount Orchard that have been broken into.

After a series of burglaries at sheds and a garage in Oldwood Road, two night-trail cameras were installed.

There were a number of cases of cars being broken into and Dark Orchard is a particular target with three separate incidents.

Tenbury has also been hit by criminal-damage incidents that include a gate being broken down in Berrington Road, plants and their pots destroyed in several parts of the town and a large plant pot taken from the Teme Bridge.

Motorists have also suffered from criminal damage including scratching with keys.