Chris Maclean: dealing with drugs

By Chris Maclean

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Town centre pub Drug addiction

I found evidence of drugs again last night. I thought I'd purged it completely. For the past five months there has been nothing.Then a casual check...

I found evidence of drugs again last night.

I thought I'd purged it completely. For the past five months there has been nothing.

Then a casual check in the Gents tells me it hasn't completely gone away. I knew it wouldn't disappear but re-locate. And chances are, if I am not vigilant, it will reappear. But I am ready to do battle.

Before we took over the Railway I sought counsel from a lovely licensee who ran a town centre pub in Ashford. I asked her to visit the Railway with me and see if there was a problem. She explained to me the signs to watch, the unusual behaviour, the modus operandi of drug users and dealers, the detection in the toilets and the remedy. Our visit was a revelation. There was evidence of cocaine all over the Gents and Ladies toilets. Strangely I was excited by this. Rather than naively thinking there wasn't a problem I knew from then that it was there.

From the moment I took over I have monitored the situation closely. Young men going to the toilet at the same time would be checked on. People not having drinks would be watched. Within days the problem moved out of here. I freely admit I have stopped nothing ~ except the drugs are now taken elsewhere. Indeed my wife saw lads in their car in the car park topping up before they came in. They were given short shrift.

The practical tip was to smear the cistern top and any other flat smooth surfaces with petroleum jelly or oil. (There was a solution using WD40 or other similar spray lubricants but the police tell me this is not permitted because it might cause the drug users some harm. So do not use WD40).

Pubs that claim they do not have a drug problem probably have a control problem. Most pubs are experiencing some drug use on their premises. You just have to be clued up and vigilant.

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