CHILDREN as young as eight have helped shut off a drugs den after finding used needles and informing police.

The neighbourhood policing team in Whitebirk have gated off an outhouse at the back of a shop in Hereford Road after youngsters told them about suspicious activity.

The building is directly opposite the Hereford Road base of the Whitebirk Youth Inclusion Programme – a project which provides diversionary evening activities for eight to 16-year-olds.

Whitebirk PCSO Kim Hobley said £600 alleygates had been put in at the request of the police.

She said: “It is out of view for us and for the public, but we have received reports from the children that there are needles lying about, drug paraphernalia, and people have been going behind the building.

“It has been a problem since I joined the force 17 months ago.

“It’s been boarded up and people have been searched and arrested.

“But there are weekly problems there and it’s opposite the YIP (Youth Inclusion Programme) so the kids have told me about what they’ve seen. We’ll take information from any-where.

“Hopefully this will solve a lot of problems in one go. It’s something local people have been asking for.”

The outhouse is behind Kayleigh’s Baps, in Hereford Road.

Proprietor Kayleigh Grieves, 22, said: “There were lots of used needles lying round, as well as tin foil.

"People would just walk past in the middle of the day to take drugs.

“One of the main reasons I wanted the gates is because kids run round playing hide and seek and it is dangerous.

“I also had a delivery of cakes stolen from the back door.”