Youths ‘terrorise’ Oswaldtwistle estate

7:47pm Thursday 17th April 2008

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TEENAGERS "terrorising" an estate have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a play area.

Residents from the Tinkerbrook Fold estate in Oswaldtwistle are in uproar after steel railings and metal fences were torn down and shrubs and trees pulled up from the park, on Three Brooks Way.

They claim that for over 18 months teenagers have been "making lives a misery".

Broken glass and empty cans litter the park, and they report that mud and stones have been thrown at cars and houses.

One resident, who refused to be named for fear of reprisals, said youths throwing objects at her car caused £400 worth of damage.

Tina Murphy, 39, from Millbrook Close, said that teenagers vault her six-foot garden fence to get to the play area, and have thrown bags of rubbish, including dog faeces, into her garden.

At night, teenagers gathering to drink and smoke can be heard shouting and screaming.

The mother of four refuses to let her 10-year-old daughter out of the house, and her 15-year-old son avoids the area.

She added: "They have no respect. We want the park taken away.

"It's been an ongoing problem that is not going to go away unless something is done about it. It's making our lives a misery."

Steven Baldwin, 35, said most of the kids are not from the estate but come from elsewhere to hang around on the park.

He said: "We have had to call police on numerous occasions."

The play area and the estate are the responsibility of Bovis Homes, who bought out its original developers, Elite Homes.

A spokesperson for Bovis said: "We are aware of concerns over the public open space.

"Damage to fencing will rectified next week and a programme of sowing and planting will be drawn up and actioned."