Staffordshire Police have responded to claims that their Biddulph patrols are "almost non-existent" after a Knypersley village green was repeatedly targeted by vandals.

Biddulph Nub News reported yesterday how volunteers raised concerns over a lack of police presence in the town after the Newpool Meadows village green was subjected to "several acts of vandalism".

It included bird boxes being torn down and smashed, gates and boardwalks being damaged and signs being destroyed.

Ellen Faulkner, who is part of the team of volunteers who manages the green, said she was planning to write to the Police and Crime Commissioner, and called for a 24-hour police presence in the town, after struggling to report the vandalism via 101.

Police have since responded to the concerns, telling Biddulph Nub News that the vandalism has now been reported, and is being investigated by the force.

They said they had a "dedicated team" of officers in place in Biddulph, and pointed out the number of 101 calls the force received each day.

They also accepted that there may be delays during the busiest times due to the volume of calls.

A spokesperson said: "A report was made to police yesterday afternoon. The incident number is 543 of 01 October. The incident has been allocated to a local PCSO who will be progressing an investigation and carrying out enquiries.

"On average the force receives 900 101 calls each day, and we do have to prioritise our emergency 999 call answering service. We accept that this will mean some delays in the answering of non-emergency 101 calls during our busiest times.

"We were one of the first forces to facilitate crime and incident reporting through social media (direct messaging through Facebook and Twitter) and this development, launched in March 2019, supports the force's ongoing work to develop new and more convenient ways for the public to make contact with the police and avoid the wait on 101. Twenty-five per cent of non-emergency calls are now handled this way.

"The force website also enables the public to report crimes and incidents, road traffic collisions and lost or found property.

They added: "We have a dedicated team of neighbourhood officers in Biddulph. There is a sergeant, six police constables and six police community support officers. They are supported by response policing and special constables."

If you have any information about the vandalism, call Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 543 of 1st October.

PCSO Clare Sartin, of Staffordshire Police's Biddulph team, said: "There have been several incidents of vandalism at Newpool Meadows village green where bird boxes and feeders have been pulled down and information signs damaged. T

"his is a beautiful area with an abundance of wildlife, which will be greatly affected by their habitat being destroyed."

Ellen added that she is now satisfied with the police response, saying: "This afternoon a special constable visited Newpool Meadows to view the area.

"She hadn't visited the area before so was quite surprised how lovely the area is.

"We have been promised more regular patrols let's hope they result in a reduction in anti social behaviour.

"I am grateful for a positive response from the police."