A DRIVE to tackle problems caused by homeless people is being launched by the police.

Northwich police Community Action Team (CAT) officer Steve Jones is urging any businesses who believe homeless people are staying overnight in parts of their premises to contact him.

He said: 'I've recently had a number of reports of homeless people staying overnight at the rear of various local companies. I'm currently trying to identify these people with a view to achieving a long-term solution.

'The support of other agencies is vital in this work and, over the coming weeks,I'll be getting in touch with a number of organisations and exploring what the options are in terms of tackling the concerns of the business sector and addressing the needs of the homeless community.

'I need to get a clear idea of exactly what the problem is before making progress including the location, descriptions of people involved, items being left that cause firms to believe the area is being lived in, how often the area is used.'

He added:'We can then decide how best to approach the problems.'

* To contact PC Steve Jones call 0845 458 6392.