'Enough is enough' say residents of Hartlepool street plagued by anti-social behaviour

A number of neighbours in Parton Street, in the Dyke House are of town, say they have had enough of people fighting in the street, out of control and abusive children, off-road bikes ridden by Balaclava-clad riders and criminal damage to property.

One household was recently evicted after anti-social behaviour was reported.

Residents say problems have escalated since late last year and say they have had little support from the police and housing associations.

Cleveland Police and landlord Thirteen say they take the issue very seriously and have been working with partner agencies on various initiatives in the area.

Issues Parton Street residents have complained of include disorder and fighting in the street to which police get called, children and adults riding quad bikes and mini motorbikes at all times of the day, systematic breaking of windows by children of an empty house, children showing showing disrespect towards adults, dumping rubbish in a community flower garden and children deliberately damaging trees.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We’ve got to the stage where we think enough is enough.

“The police are coming out and dealing with serious problems but the anti-social behaviour is basically just getting pushed on to the back burner.

"We don’t feel we are getting a lot of support from the police, Thirteen, or any other organisation.”

They added: “When I moved here it was a really nice area to live. It seems lately round here it’s got to an all time low.

"We’ve never known it so bad."

The resident said some neighbours are so fed up they are looking to move, adding: “None of us are really happy where we are."

Cleveland Police said they have received a small number of reports of incidents in Parton Street in the last two months including attending a dispute.

The tenants of one property were served with an eviction notice.

Police also highlighted a recent Big Clean Up event with partner agencies including Thirteen and the Community Safety Team in which they engaged with young people.

The force said neighbourhood officers work within the community to address issues including hate crime and anti-social behaviour and recently visited Wharton Annex Community Centre and Dyke House School.

Hartlepool Neighbourhood Policing Team is leading the multi-agency Operation Endurance on nuisance off-road bikes across the town.

A force spokesperson said: "Officers take all reports of crime and antisocial behaviour seriously and would encourage anyone affected to call police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Thirteen also said it has been working with the local community, including holding a week of action last month, and recently invested in two wardens in Dyke House to tackle anti-social behaviour and environmental crime.

Executive director of customer services David Ripley said: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is our absolute priority.

“We take all reports of antisocial behaviour extremely seriously and we’re working closely with partner agencies to further improve the area.”

Further information on how to report antisocial behaviour can be found at www.cleveland.police.uk/ro/report/asb/af/antisocial-behaviour/.