A KEIGHLEY councillor said young people are regularly and openly smoking cannabis in the centre of Keighley.

Speaking during Keighley's latest Annual Town Meeting, town councillor Emanuele Bernardini said he encountered this problem recently while walking through the town centre with his young child.

He argued it was not acceptable for this to be allowed to become a "normal" situation.

Commenting shortly after the meeting, he said use of cannabis in public was extremely blatant, and was even taking place in the paved area between Keighley Bus Station and the Airedale Shopping Centre.

Locum town clerk Anne Wilson noted council staff had reported this issue to the police, because they were aware of cannabis being smoked directly behind the civic centre in North Street, where the town council's own office is located.

Cllr Bernardini asked if the town council could also put pressure on authorities to tackle a spate of motorbike thefts. He warned local motorcycle owners will face heftier insurance payments if the problem isn't resolved.