Gang intimidation and anti-social behaviour 'out of control' in Gloucestershire town, say residents
A town in Gloucestershire has a big problem with gangs according to residents.
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 statues, 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 27 July.
He asked why nothing has been sorted after four years of antisocial behaviour in the town. Mr Morgan said: “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.
“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. There’s been the intimidation of the Jolly Forest Fryer chip shop in Cinderford. It’s going on everywhere.
“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.
“I don’t want it brushed under the carpet, there is a problem in the town.”
Council chairman Di Martin said Mr Morgan’s point has gone across. She told the meeting that council officers have looked at the problem and will continue to do so.
Speaking after the meeting, Cinderford Town Council chairman Graham Morgan, who also represents the area on Gloucestershire County Council, agrees that there is a problem.
He said: “There has been anti-social 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 anti-social 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”.
They said: “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.”
Credit: Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter