A GANG of youths known as the ‘foster crew’ have angered residents by leaving hundreds of discarded beer cans in local woods.

The litter can be found in woods on the Red Hall estate in Darlington, alongside the remains of bonfires and old deckchairs left by the group.

One resident, who has lived in Red Hall for just over a year, said the group have been littering the woods since he moved to the area.

“They come most nights around tea time, nobody stops them because if you ring the police, by the time they arrive the group are gone," he said.

“If I’m walking my dog and I see the Foster Crew, I turn back because you don’t know how drunk people are going to behave. I don’t want a confrontation.

“I wouldn’t mind them drinking in the woods, as long as they weren’t harming anyone and were taking their rubbish away with them.”

Across the estate, the group are known to start bonfires while drinking causing concerns that the fires will cause damage to people or property.

Councillor Ian Haszeldine, who represents Red Hall on Darlington Borough Council, said: “It is a difficult activity to monitor because it is not reported to the council or the police while they are drinking, but we do get reports about the illegal fly tipping and the large amount of empty cans left behind.

“It is hard to stop this type of activity and define what they are doing wrong apart from littering, we need to work with the police and other agencies to try and find a solution, a joint approach is probably the best way forward.”

Local people, however, say they have not received any calls from the public.

Sergeant Louise Guest, from Darlington Neighbourhood Police Team, said: “We have not had any incidents reported to us about this over the last few months.

“If the community has any concerns around antisocial behaviour, we would encourage them to report them to us on the 101 number, or call 999 in an emergency.

“When issues are highlighted to us, we can increase patrols where necessary.”