POLICE from outside East Lothian were drafted in to help deal with underage drinking and anti-social behaviour in Dunbar after a spate of incidents.

Officers have faced “challenging situations” in the town over the last two weekends, with the Local Area Commander Chief Inspector Neil Mitchell branding the behaviour “completely unacceptable”.

The issues have stemmed from the annual end-of-exam celebrations at Bullet Hill, as well as a funfair visiting the town.

The county’s most senior police officer said: “Over the past two weekends, my officers have been faced with challenging situations where large groups of youths, mainly under the influence of alcohol, have caused anti-social behaviour, disorder and in some cases challenged my officers.

“This is completely unacceptable and I will not allow this to continue.”

The officer stressed that the funfair itself had been well run but the surrounding park and streets featured youths who were “again under the influence of alcohol”.

Now, police are getting ready to work with East Lothian Council and other groups to tackle the problem.

Chief Inspector Mitchell confirmed they would be re-opening the Problem Solving Partnership (PSP) and said: “I will be writing to parents across East Lothian in the coming weeks asking for assistance and will also have officers going into local schools providing talks.

“I ask that all parents speak to their children and ask questions about who they are out with and what they are doing, particularly with the school holidays approaching.”

The town’s community and police partnership (CAPP) group was due to meet yesterday (Wednesday) evening, where the issue was likely to be discussed.