Trouble will only stop on a housing estate if householders are brave enough to name names, says a leading resident.
Neighbourhood Watch coordinator Shirley Richmond urges residents on the Steeton estate to make a stand by rep-orting incidents to police and council enforcement officers.
The 64-year-old grandmother spoke out after elderly people living on Williams Road reveal-ed they were being terrorised by teenagers, as the Keighley News reported last week.
They accused neighbours' children of incidents including stone throwing, vandalism, shooting, foul language and kicking footballs against doors. Other residents claimed the rowdyism would stop if youngsters were provided with a play area or regular youth club.
Mrs Richmond says she, like other pensioners in the streets around Williams Road, live in constant fear. But she says action cannot be taken by the authorities unless people are willing to act as witnesses.
She says: "Fear is building up here. I respect that fear but we have a right to live in peace, to keep our gardens right. If we unite we will have strength. There are more good people on this estate than bad - a small number of families are causing the havoc. A lot of people care about what happens to the elderly. If they will help the police to help us, it will end."
Mrs Richmond is full of praise for the police but says the time they spend on the estate is wasted because people will not give evidence.
She believes it is the responsibility of local parents to control the youths, who are aged from about 11 to 17. "You just do not let your kids go around upsetting people," she says.
Mrs Richmond says residents can report incidents to Keighley police's Neighbour-hood Watch officers anonymously by phoning 01535 652303. Householders can also keep detailed logs for Bradford council's Tenancy Enforcement Team, which can threaten nuisance neighbours with eviction if it has enough evidence.
She urges residents to take their problems to Neighbour-hood Watch meetings in the village Bowling Green pavilion.
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