A VILLAGE has decided to hold a referendum on a controversial youth shelter proposed as a solution to vandalism which has plagued the community during the past few years.

A Neighbourhood Watch network and extra police patrols have had little effect as the culprits simply lie low before embarking on a fresh spree of damage.

But patience is wearing thin at Scotton, near Catterick Garrison, where some residents say they are considering leaving the village.

An abandoned car has been set on fire, the empty former shop ransacked, the phone box wrecked and the windows at the village hall have been smashed within the last fortnight.

But it was the idea of a new youth shelter which prompted more than 100 people to pack a parish council meeting.

Most were adamant they did not want it near their homes, regardless of the imminent arrival of closed-circuit television (CCTV).

"It seemed most had heard we had already decided to go ahead with the idea and had chosen a site, which isn't true at all," said parish clerk Chris Watson. "Once people realised that, the atmosphere changed.

"In the end, the upshot of the meeting was to agree to a referendum in the village which will decide if we want a youth shelter and, if so, where we should put it.''

However, Mr Watson admitted that even the parish council's view on the proposal is no better than "lukewarm".

"There used to be a bus shelter where young people met, but they virtually destroyed that and we had to have it pulled down," he said.

Surveillance cameras - to be installed in the village within the next 12 months - could bring some relief.

But the area police commander, Inspector Charles Kay, emphasised that officers will continue to patrol the streets as well. "Cameras are only as good as the sites chosen for them," he said.

"In Richmond, for example, they may inhibit the behaviour of anyone leaving a pub, but they don't stop the vandals who know where they will be out of sight.

"When the system goes up in Scotton, we will have to bear that in mind.

"They may move the problems elsewhere, and we will need additional patrols to keep an eye on that.