Auchtermuchty residents claim they have been besieged by rowdy youths running amok in the town centre.
One resident described the town as “like living in the wild west” after a local businesswoman was reportedly trapped in her shop when a fight broke out in the street.
Police Scotland confirmed that last month officers responded to a report of an assault and a 19-year-old woman was arrested.
The force said steps had since been taken to tackle anti-social behaviour.
A spokesperson said: “Officers will provide an enhanced police presence in the area for the foreseeable future with extra patrols particularly focusing on Friday and Saturday evenings.”
Local residents raised concerns about people loitering around the Cycle Tavern pub.
When contacted by The Courier, the pub manager said there were no problems with disorder on the premises.
He added that the disturbance last month happened on the other side of the road and after the premises had closed.
The police spokesperson continued: “Police in Fife are aware of antisocial behaviour issues around Burnside in Auchtermuchty and have been in discussions with the landlord and designated premises manager of the Cycle Tavern to address the concerns of local residents.
“As a result of these discussions, the manager has taken various actions, including removing the external tables and chairs to discourage loitering after the tavern has closed.”
A local resident, who lives in Kilnheugh, said the problems escalated over the summer months.
“Over the duration of the summer, as happened last year, it has been like living in the wild west for residents of Burnside and Kilnheugh,” she said.
“From 1am, with gangs of young people screaming and fighting, until up to 3am on a Friday and Saturday night.
“My neighbour who runs a wedding cake business became trapped in her shop on Friday night by three groups of fighting youngsters. She was working on a wedding cake for delivery on Saturday morning.”
Cycle Tavern manager Scott Ness said: “We can’t be responsible for what people do after they leave the premises.
“People in the pub are no hassle. There are no problems with people causing trouble.
“It’s a noise issue the neighbours have.
“It’s a small village and we have sometimes upwards of 80 to 100 people in the pub. You can imagine there’s some noise when everyone leaves.
“But nobody is hanging around outside. They’re not able to sit outside because we’ve removed the benches to cut down noise.”
