People ‘living in fear’ as gangs ‘terrorise’ Gloucestershire town
People living in Cinderford say there's “big problem” in the town which is being swept under the carpet by the authorities.
People say they have been living in fear for years due to gangs terrorising a Gloucestershire town with intimidating behaviour and urinating on public monuments.
Cinderford residents say there is a “big problem” in the town which is being swept under the carpet by the authorities.
There have been reports of people urinating on the miner’s statue, closing streets and letting off fireworks as well as gangs intimidating people in the town centre.
Town resident Brian Morgan raised his concerns about the issue at the Forest of Dean District Council meeting on July 27.
He asked why nothing has been sorted after four years of antisocial behaviour in the town.
“The police won’t sort it, the council won’t sort it, the landlord won’t sort it. It is happening in different areas of the town,” he said.
“I am stopped regularly by different people and asked to keep going with this. It is getting out of control and needs sorting.”
Mr Morgan said he has met with environmental health officers about noise concerns and police officers over the antisocial behaviour but “they don’t want to know”.
“The noise is not just in the day, it’s all hours. We’ve got sound apps, readings.
“There’s been the intimidation of the Jolly Forest Fryer chip shop in Cinderford. It’s going on everywhere.
“If that’s not intimidation, I don’t know what is. It is intimidating for women to walk to the car park at the top of town.
“You took a seat out, that’s not going to solve the problem. It’s not just there, it’s all over the town.
“This has been going on for four years. It’s not fair.
“There was a lot of trouble in the town about 18 months ago. It’s been brushed away by the police, by the council. Something’s got to be done about it.
“On New Year’s Eve, they were shutting the roads off and fireworks being let off in the High Street. And it’s not just that day.
“I don’t want it brushed under the carpet, there is a problem in the town.”
Council chairman Di Martin (L, Cinderford East) said Mr Morgan’s point has gone across.
She told the meeting that council officers have looked at the problem. “And I’m sure they will continue to do so,” she added.
Speaking after the meeting, Cinderford Town Council chairman Graham Morgan (L, Cinderford), who also represents the area on Gloucesershire County Council, agrees that there is a problem.
“There has been antisocial behaviour going on. They’ve been urinating against statues of miners. If they had done something like that 20 or 30 years ago they would have had a bloody good hiding.
“The trouble is it’s antisocial behaviour and these people hang around in groups and intimidate people in the town centre. These people take the law into their own hands and are mob handed.”
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary said they take all reports of antisocial behaviour seriously and work with partner agencies to reach a resolution.”
“We understand that anti-social behaviour can have an impact on a person’s quality of life We would encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of it to come forward and report it.