Our picturesque lakeside village has been ruined by thug kids – they threaten to burn our homes down, it's terrifying | The Sun
A PICTURESQUE lakeside village is being ruined by thuggish kids who threaten to set fire to homes, residents say.
The unruly teens wreak havoc on the lives of those in Hemlington in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, and push locals to lock themselves indoors after dark.
An ex-policeman who used to patrol the area, popular with fishermen and dog walkers, said he had seen men attacked in the street and youths attempting to torch wildlife.
Graffiti is also doused on many walls, bikers rev motorcycles through the night, and teens brandish machetes, it is alleged.
Mark Wilkinson, 62, said: "It used to have a bad reputation because it was a council estate.
"I don't see much anti-social behaviour anymore because I don't go out at night – but you can certainly hear it.
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"You can hear the motorbikes on the football pitches near the recreation park on the other side of the lake.
"The anti-social stuff has reduced. But you can go to the shops and there's still lots of graffiti.
"The kids will be lovely one day but another you'll find yourself wanting to leave quickly.
"We do have a lot of car crime."
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The retired officer, who has lived in Hemlington for 20 years, said the downfall was a real shame as the lake itself can be "really nice" and the neighbourhood was once lovely.
"It was opened by Prince Charles in the 80s and it was fantastic back then," Mark added.
"But there's the minority of young people who fly up and down on their motorbikes and spoil it.
"When I worked and we got reports of anti-social behaviour, we would go and give them a telling off and that would stop it.
"I think the police now think some of these kids are too far gone and whatever they tell them, they don't listen."
Around the body of water, remnants of burned out fires and torched beer cans lie on the path.
One local, who refused to be named for his own safety, said: "The problems come from the younger people.
"They light fires and cause trouble. I've seen them set reeds on fire and try to set the ducks on fire in the lake – but if you say anything to them they shout back at you.
"As soon as it gets dark, I make sure I'm at home. It's a really worrying feeling.
"I spoke to an old woman waiting for a prescription at 2pm a little while ago and she told me she had to get home because she felt really unsafe.
"She shouldn't have been panicking about her own safety in the middle of the afternoon.
"The lake is beautiful but it's what is around it which is the problem."
As soon as it gets dark, I make sure I'm at home. It's a really worrying feeling.
The centre of Hemlington is home to a row of shops including a Tesco and Boots, but many of the independent businesses have closed.
Walking through it, mum-of-four Samantha Sargent said she hadn't been to the lake for two years.
The 50-year-old said: "You always think you're going to get mugged or dragged into the bushes – you just don't know around here.
"I was with my kids there one time and a bag of needles was pulled from the bushes.
"I rushed them to hospital because I didn't know if they had been pricked and caught something."
Several months ago, Samantha said she saw children threatening to burn down an elderly man's home.
"The people I was with chased them off but the old man was shaking. It wasn't fair at all," she added.
The latest statistics show Hemlington, which was built in the 1960s to offer cheaper housing for the people of Middlesbrough, is improving its crime levels.
Cleveland Police have cracked down on the area by imposing a number of dispersal orders, and 'Operation Fortress' was launched to tackle anti-social behaviour, which has reduced by 50 per cent in Middlesbrough as a whole.
SAFETY FEARS
Pharmacy worker Andrea Carrigan, 47, said: "It's okay where I live and I've been in Hemlington all of my life, but if you go around the corner it can be a lot worse.
"The youths tend to gather around the shops. Nine times out of 10 they don't bother you but it's intimidating when they're in groups.
"I've only had one window broken in all the years, but you can hear them on their motorbikes at the lake.
"I don't like to go to the shops after a certain time just for safety when there's groups of kids as a precaution."
A mum, who wished to hide her identity, also stays home once the sun sets.
"The crime tends to happen at night and I don't come out then because I have my little one in bed," she said.
"It doesn't affect me now but I worry about the future when my son is older.
"I hope it changes by the time he gets to junior school and he starts to play out with friends.
"If Hemlington is still as bad then, I will probably look to move to another area."
However, Chris Lord thinks the estate isn't all bad.
The chef, 36, said while you see "a lot of kids mooching about", it's usually pretty uneventful.
"You do come across the odd lad who thinks he's hard as nails but thankfully where I live it is actually quite quiet," he added.
"It's not just kids you see though, it's older lads and people my age.
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"They mooch around on bikes and they threaten people, usually around the shops.
"I do sometimes see the motorbikes going up and down the fields but it doesn't happen very often."
How bad is the crime rate in Hemlington?
THERE were 205 street level crime incidents in Hemlington in January 2023.
The most common category was violent crime, followed by anti-social behaviour.
- Violent crime (75)
- Anti-social behaviour (22)
- Other theft (19)
- Criminal damage arson (18)
- Public order (16)
- Other crime (13)
- Shoplifting (11)
- Burglary (8)
- Drugs (8)
- Vehicle crime (8)
- Possession of weapons (4)
- Robbery (2)
- Bicycle theft (1)
By comparison, nearby Brookfield had 182 incidents, Stainton 130, Tollesby 161 and Linthorpe 353.
Source: ilivehere.co.uk
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