Sticky problem

A police initiative to silence late-night drinkers leaving pubs by giving them lollipops to suck has only succeeded in creating a new sticky litter problem.

Residents of Montrose have rubbished the bizarre plan, which police hoped would help stop late-night singing, swearing and shouting by noisy revellers. Police took delivery of the lollipops for distribution to publicans in the first scheme of its kind in Scotland, following successful trials in Manchester.

However, the Baltic Street Residents' Association in Montrose said drinkers had tired of the novelty and the noise was as bad as ever.
They said the 2,000 lollipops distributed had just caused more litter. Baltic Street is a main route home for revellers, where residents claim that their lives are being made a misery because of anti-social behaviour.

Terry Wood, a local councillor, said: "You see people carrying and licking the lollipops, but unfortunately the late night noise is as bad as ever."

Inspector Athol Aitken, of Tayside Police, said a random check of households had shown they were split over the scheme's effectiveness. He said: "By the end of the four-week trial period, around 2,000 lollipops will have been handed out. If that makes up to 2,000 people more aware of the need to cut down the noise and have some respect for the neighbourhood, then for that reason alone the whole exercise will have been worth it."