A Westbury resident living on the High Street says that the level of anti-social behaviour in the town centre is now so bad, that she is considering selling her home and moving.
Incidents of anti-social behaviour have been reported on the High Street, Edward Street and surrounding area during the evening, both mid-week and at weekends. A Section 35 disposal order was put in place earlier this month, following £5,000 worth of damage being caused to the public toilets in the High Street.
The resident, who lives above one of the shops in the High Street and who wishes to stay anonymous, says they have been “terrorised and harassed” by a group of young people over the past year.
The resident’s daughter said, “The kids are making life a living hell for my mum – so much so that she has now put her house up for sale. They are constantly climbing onto the roof and banging on the windows, which can be quite disturbing, especially if you live on your own. She has seen them often entering various back gardens of the flats in the street to throw food around and litter and again, when approached, she has been met with nothing but a stream of abuse.
“When my mum first moved to the High Street, she had quite a few neighbours reach out to her to warn her about the young people that cause trouble but she never expected it to be this bad. It has gotten significantly worse over the past six months and right now, there is an issue every weekend.
“I would really like the police to impose an ASBO – they know who these people are as I’ve been told they have spoken to their parents already, but I’ve been told that this is not possible currently. This seems almost targeted, as my mum does not live in an area that is easy to access – it is above a shop so these people are going out of their way to do this.”
Westbury town councillor, Matt Dean, says that he would welcome a more regular police presence in the town to deal with the problems.
He said, “I am getting report after report from residents in the area who are complaining that this group are smashing plant pots, throwing food in gardens and at houses and even throwing things at cars.
“Westbury desperately needs a regular and consistent police presence. The police need to be around the town a lot more than they are currently, to act as a visible deterrent.
“One of the issues I’ve noticed is that police sometimes take too long to attend an incident, by which at that time, the kids have moved on. More police are being recruited currently and I would welcome their presence in the town.”
Local police say that although they cannot comment on individual cases, they are aware of the anti-social behaviour in the town centre and that they have stepped up their patrols of the area.
In a statement they said, “We have had an increase in anti-social behaviour from local youths over the last few weeks, and a section 35 dispersal notice was in place over previous weekends to deter a small group of youths being in the area and committing anti-social behaviour and damage within the town. Patrols have been increased in the area by our neighbourhood and response teams.
“Due to the high visibility patrols, issues have decreased, however we will still be maintaining a presence in the area. Warminster Community Policing Team is currently working with local stakeholders to add prevention measures in and around the area and CCTV in the area is soon to be upgraded.”
If any members of the public see any anti-social behaviour, they have been asked to report this to Wiltshire Police via 101 or online reporting. In an emergency call 999.
Westbury’s CCTV system is to undergo a revamp in the new year and councillors have already discussed the idea of installing a new camera at the library in order to monitor the area fully.
