TOWN residents have spoken out about feeling terrified by gangs of youths in parks and streets in a small town.

Crook residents are voicing frustrations after weeks of intimidation and abuse from youths in the market town, in County Durham.

Anti-social behaviour is becoming a problem for the area, with gangs setting fire to trees, vandalising, and leaving behind dangerous trails of broken glass.

The Northern Echo spoke to residents who spoke of their ordeal – they wished to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions.

A former councillor, said: “The old folks that live by Glenholme Park must be absolutely terrified.

“The park used to be a beautiful place now it looks like a bomb site, there are trees that have been set on fire and rubbish everywhere.

“It’s really sad as this used to be one of, if not, the best park in County Durham, we had flower beds, statues, and brass bands used to play here.

“Now it’s filthy and what made it great has all been taken away, even the park benches had to go after they were vandalised.

“I really feel sorry for the litter pickers who do an amazing job of clearing all the bottles in the morning.

“The youths do not seem to have any respect anymore for people or places.

“It is putting people off going out, even to walk the dog due to the intimidation.

“The police are doing a good job most nights with breaking them up, but they can’t be there all the time.”

Another resident who regularly walks their dog through the park said they had to take it to the vets after its paws were slashed by the broken glass.

One resident who has lived in the area for years said that he was ‘considering moving out’ because the trouble has become so bad.

He said the smell of drugs was that strong ‘you’d be high by time you got to the end of the street’.

A regular shopper in Lidl said: “They are running amok – they have crates of booze with them and have set off bangers in the chip shop, they have a mob mentality.

“I come down here every week to do my shopping and they are always there without fail, I am going to have to start looking somewhere else.”

Some residents are critical of the police’s response, one said it was ‘embarrassing that all the behaviour happens with in a 100 metres of the police station.’

Another said: “It’s like Baghdad every night with the fireworks, the same gangs of kids are out until after midnight and motorbikes are flying about all night, you would think the noise would alert the police.”

Anne Reed, Durham County Councillor for Crook, said: “Vandalism impacts greatly on the area, it is not just unsightly but can be costly to repair or replace.

“This destructive behaviour puts extra workload onto the police.”