TRADERS in a North-East market town are calling for authorities to take action against users of a drug rehabilitation centre.

More than 30 shop owners in Bishop Auckland, have signed a petition because they say addicts seeking treatment at the Castlebridge Centre, Market Place, are causing crime and scaring customers.

The petition demands a meeting with the centre manager, police and town centre manager Steve McCormick.

Gordon Draper, who runs a book store on Fore Bondgate, hopes discussions will lead to the £500,000 centre being moved to an industrial estate.

Castlebridge is managed by the County Durham Drug and Alcohol Team (Durham DAAT). It was set up in 2002 to help drug users battle their addiction with regular injections of the heroin substitute methadone.

The traders’ petition reads: “We are not happy with the way that certain authorities are dealing with the obvious problem this methadone clinic poses, so we wish it to be explained to us. We just don’t get it, how and why it is such a splendid idea to have known heroin users with criminal convictions come to Bishop Auckland shopping areas every day.”

The centre was one of two picked out for praise nationally by Sir Nigel Crisp, then the NHS chief executive, in 2003 when police also attributed a drop in street crime to the service.

A spokesman for Durham Police said officers respond to emergency calls within 15 minutes and priority calls within one hour, but a call from Mr Draper after his shop was robbed was not deemed urgent. Mr Draper said it was eight days before officers attended the scene.

Councillor Sam Zair, also a Fore Bondgate trader, is organising the meeting.

He said: “The petition has two major concerns. The first is about police response times and the second is about the Castlebridge Centre, which is used for drug rehabilitation which traders feel is affecting trade, but there is a number of factors you can blame for that such as the recession.”

No one from the centre was available for comment last night.