A MAN is due to go on trial later this month accused of public order offences in Dulverton over the past several months.

Police said a ‘substantial amount of anti-social behaviour’ had been reported in the Exmoor town since last August.

PCSO Michelle Haimes said much Exmoor neighbourhood beat team officers’ time was taken up dealing with the case, which meant police had not been as ‘visible’ to the rest of the community as they would have liked.

However, PCSO Haimes said the efforts had a ‘positive result’ with the man charged with three counts of harassment and one public order offence.

She said the man appeared before magistrates in February and pleaded guilty to two charges but denied the other two.

PCSO Haimes said: “Many of the other reports that were brought to our attention were used as evidence to gain a community protection notice on him.

“This has been served and will be in place until February 8, 2025.”

She said the trial was due on April 18 for the charges to which the man had pleaded not guilty.

PCSO Haimes said there had also been spate of burglaries and thefts across Exmoor during January and February, with tools stolen in a number of cases.

One theft from a van in Timberscombe saw £8,000 of power tools stolen, while several chainsaws were taken in a burglary in Brushford, power tools and a bicycle were lost to a burglar in Allerford, and high-value E-bikes were taken in a Porlock Weir break-in.

A Porlock public house was broken into in Porlock and alcohol taken and there had been an unsuccessful burglary attempt in the village a week later.

Garden tools were taken in a Winsford burglary and in an incident which was believed to be linked, stables in the village were entered and items stolen.

An empty house in Dulverton had been burgled twice in the space of three days and a possible offender had been identified with police inquiries ongoing.

PCSO Haimes said in the Brushford case a neighbour saw a suspect vehicle but did not call police.