Arbroath Community Council will urge retailers to join forces to drive shops selling legal highs out of town.
Chairman Ian Watson was speaking on the eve of a protest against the opening of such a shop just yards from an addiction support centre.
The shop is two doors along from St Andrew’s Church’s Havilah drop-in centre, which provides help five days a week for people suffering with alcohol or drug addictions.
The over-18s store sells bongs, grinders, legal high chemical compounds branded as research chemicals and room odouriser, also known as bottled amyl nitrate.
It is the second shop selling legal highs to open in Arbroath, with Declaration already established on Brothock Bridge.
Mr Watson said the issue comes up regularly at community council meetings and members are now working to rid the town of the shops.
The organisation is working with Arbroath and Area Partnership, and it will bring the issue forward to the next meeting of the Arbroath Town Centre Retailers’ Association.
Mr Watson said: “There is, behind the scenes, the beginning of a community force being organised to fight the retailers who are selling dangerous products labelled as fragrance or garden products.
“Colin Cunningham, the community police officer, has discussed with us at great lengths the dangers that such products are having on our younger generation.
“When mixed with alcohol they can become lethal, but we also have to be careful not to help by advertising the products and the retailers who sell them.
“Currently, the consensus is to rally the community together and carry out an organised and sustained effort to drive the retailers out of town.
“We want to get the message out there that the community of Arbroath are willing to step up in order to protect our youngsters.
“It would also be helpful if the other towns of Angus would do the same and keep Angus a legal highs free zone.
“There are many ways we have discussed as to how we can legally achieve this and just now the community council is working with the Arbroath and Area Partnership.
“Our aim is to bring this forward to the next Town Centre Retailers’ Association meeting. We believe we can achieve a positive result if we all pull together.”
Mr Watson said he did not wish to discourage the good intentions of the St Andrew’s congregation but questioned why they were simply targeting one shop.
He added: “Are they demonstrating against the product or is it because the shop is almost next door to their drop-in centre?
“If they are against the product why are they not organising a demo outside Declaration on Brothock Bridge who sell the same products?”