IT'S a sad day indeed when our town's cultural quarter must now be home to a drugs support clinic for heroin and crack cocaine addicts.

Thanks to a casting vote by one Lib Dem councillor - there will now be a large substance support centre opposite the central library on Bold Street.

Why there? Why when so many people have fought hard to improve our town centre, do we have to site this centre in this important business environment?

I understand that we have to provide facilities for drug addicts who need support, but why does it have to be in our cultural quarter. What's cultural about that?

Staff at the library and museum are already complaining that bloody needles have been found in the museum loos and that methadone bottles have been left in wastepaper bins.

They have also been the victims of abusive and threatening behaviour.

Surely these problems will only get worse.

Or are we supposed to kid ourselves that all drug addicts are well behaved?

The town centre manager Nick White has also voiced his concerns over used syringes and blood-stained swabs having been found in many central locations.

A former policeman addressed the council planning meeting saying the cultural quarter wasn't the right area for the drugs centre.

But no, they agreed it anyway - what a farce.

Do these councillors live in this town - it certainly makes me wonder?

The main criticisms of our town centre have been that there are too many pubs fuelling the booze culture which then causes violence.

What a good idea then to encourage a few addicts to join in - I'll really look forward to my trips to the library!

The charity behind the new centre says that if addicts don't behave responsibly the ultimate sanction will be withdrawal of support.

Yep, that should really do the trick.