UK estate where feral youths ‘think they run it’ and looks afraid to go out after dark
Residents of a UK estate have spoken out about the gangs of feral youths, teenagers and young men marauding the Hull estate wreaking havoc.
And while locals in Orchard Park say nighttime is the worst, the cocky gangs and “Twocers” (police speak for ‘Taking Without Consent’) are increasingly active during the day.
One woman told Hull Live about a recent confrontation with a couple of youngsters on a stolen motorbikes as she was walking home from a friend’s in the afternoon.
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She said: “They sped past me on the grass and almost hit me.
“I shouted after them and they stopped and gave me a mouthful of abuse. It could have got worse, they just didn’t care and the aggression was really frightening. Then they just sped off.
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“That’s the thing now. They think they are above the law. They get away with it and they think they’re untouchable. They think they run the estate.”
Hall Road is one of the roughest parts of the estate. After being attacked from the roadside, taxi drivers decline to take fares to Hall Road, and Stagecoach has suspended bus routes up the street after buses were repeatedly stoned in recent weeks by young thugs – one boy arrested as as result was 12-years-old.
Locals say the situation had been deteriorating for years, despite investment in new housing and tearing down the crime infested blocks of flats that used to overlook Hall Road.
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A resident named Anne said that the impact the gangs have on life in Orchard Park, particularly around Hall Road, impacts people’s everyday lives.
She said: “There are a couple of old folk near me and they can’t get the buses into town now because they’re suspended and because of the problems down at the local shops they don’t like going there either.”
She described how taxi drivers, who share experiences of being targeted repeatedly by gangs, now drop people at the ends of the estate rather than drive through and risk their cars being attacked.
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Anne said: “You’re speaking about young women being dropped at Beverley Road or Endike Lane then having to walk through the estate to get home.
“How is that good? Who knows what could happen to them. But what’s the alternative, tell them they should go out into town and have fun? People already feel like prisoners in their homes.”
The death of two young men, Kane McBride and Adam Wright, when they crashed their stolen motorbike last week on Hall Road, triggered a surge in activity from the young gangs. They gathered for ‘vigils’ on bikes, many suspected stolen, wearing balaclavas and masks and posting tributes and pictures on social media.
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In the three months to January there were 682 crimes reported in the area around Hall Road. Violence and public disorder top the list.
Shopkeepers in Orchard Park are also regularly targeted. If it’s not abuse, it’s a gang of kids charging in and nicking as much as they can before fleeing. One store was recently ram raided. Twice.
One shopkeeper said: “It’s always been the same around here. It’s always been forgotten about.”
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Paul Chung, owner of Fish & Chips on Greenwood Ave, said: “Life’s hard enough without people dreading coming to work. We’ve not had any trouble, but some places have had it bad.
“In all my years living on Orchard Park, it’s always been the same. I don’t think they’re scared of the police anymore, are they?”
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