Forfar residents are rallying in their hundreds to try to prevent a legal highs shop from opening in the town.
Word such a shop is to open its doors on North Street, next to a nightclub and on a main walking route for Forfar Academy pupils, has horrified residents and jolted them into action.
Over 1,000 people have signed an online petition, with the linked Facebook page attracting about 500 followers.
Campaign organiser Adele Douglas Speirs said she was “raging” when she heard talk of legal highs being sold over the counter in the town.
The 23-year-old youth worker has seen the effects so-called legal highs or new psychoactive substances (NPS) have on people and harbours no doubts about their risk to mental health.
“I know how dangerous and awful they are and we want to get the community together and try and prevent it (the shop) from opening.”
Adele said: “I am so passionate about keeping people away from them. They are so dangerous.”
Forfar Against Legal High Shop Opening’s Facebook page states: “We have decided to make up this page because there is a legal high shop opening in Forfar.
“We don’t want to see or hear of people dying because of these awful legal highs. How the authorities have allowed this to happen is ridiculous.”
Adele and other organisers are planning on going door-to-door with a petition in support of what is already proving to be a successful online campaign. They are contacting councillors for their support and will present the petition to Angus Council.
Previous tenants of the North Street premises were potato merchants but it is understood that permission for a change of use from office to shop premises was granted several weeks ago.
New tenants are believed to be from outwith the area and may have shops selling NPS elsewhere, but the property’s owners made no comment when contacted.
Sources in the town thought the shop would open for business last Friday but, for whatever reason, it remained closed.
As well as having a nightclub for a neighbour, popular lunchtime eateries for schoolchildren are also adjacent to the address, as are residential addresses.
Angus Alcohol and Drug Partnership is aware of concerns about the availability and use of NPS.
Angus police commander Chief Inspector Gordon Milne said: “While it might be the case that it is not against the law to retail these so-called illegal highs, we remain deeply concerned about the effects that these substances have on people that consume them.
“Be in no doubt, any outlet that sells these damaging substances is not what we want to see in Angus.”