THE WAY a town was portrayed on national TV has caused a row between politicians, with a councillor claiming that MPs are ‘treating the public like fools’.

Former Darwen mayor Cllr Brian Taylor said he was shocked to see Darwen on a BBC news clip about a drug-dealing phenomenon known as ‘county lines.’

Cllr Taylor said: “Darwen was portrayed on the show as having a wild west culture.

“Our MP, Jake Berry, votes towards the 20 per cent cuts in Westminster, and then he complains about the lack of resources locally.

“Our Home Secretary Amber Rudd then claims that police cuts are not contributing to the increase in violent crime and all I can say is that you are treating the public like fools.

“We are not fools.

“This kind of behaviour needs to be stopped through having more police on the beat, not by taking them away.”

The news segment, which explained the concept of ‘county lines’, used an example of a case where a gang deployed a boy from Liverpool to Darwen to sell their drugs in the town.

The case ended with the 15-year-old running through the streets of Darwen fearing he was about to be stabbed to death due to his involvement with the gang.

Cllr Taylor says a rise in crime and this kind of behaviour can only be rectified with heavier policing.

The Sunnyhurst councillor went on claim that Mr Berry was directly contributing to this kind of behaviour by voting in Westminster for police cuts.

Mr Berrys responded, saying: “After a recent public meeting with local officers they have agreed that there will be a more visible police presence in Darwen and the surrounding rural areas.

“This is a shocking incident but the facts are that Lancashire Constabulary’s budget is going up this year by six per cent, a cash increase of over £6million.

“Although the police budget is going up, decisions on how the money is spent across Lancashire are ultimately up to the Labour police and crime commissioner.

“If he can find £21million to build a new police station in Blackpool and have over £40million sat in a reserve account, he should be able to find the cash to make sure our local police officers have the resources that they need.”

Cllr Taylor added: “I don’t wish to see the town I love portrayed on national TV in this light ever again.”