Estate shop 'under siege'

Following weeks of intimidation of shoppers and staff by a gang which meets outside the Holme Wood Late Shop in Broadstone Way, Yorkshire Co-ops chief executive Tony Henry said the shop would close if the trouble continued.

And he appealed to residents for help to stop the thugs.

Already probation staff have been forced to quit nearby offices and workers in the Holme Wood Advice Centre could also be moved to another part of the estate due to harassment from the group.

Mr Henry said: "We can't have our staff being fearful of going to work or leaving at the end of their shift."

A security guard is now on duty in the store after 6pm.

Mr Henry said the Co-op had invested £250,000 in refitting the shop earlier this year and he called on the community to help by reporting incidents of violence to the police.

"The shop is appreciated by most of the people living nearby and we need their help to stop the few who abuse it."

Rev Alan Evans, chairman of the Holme Wood Executive who raised the issue in his sermon at Holme Wood United Reformed Church yesterday, said the closure of the Co-op would be a big blow for local people, particularly with the expected closure of nearby Asda in Knowles Lane.

Staff were often forced to work in semi-darkness with the shutters down to prevent windows being smashed and had already been forced to close for the day earlier this month amid fears for their safety.

Shoppers, particularly the elderly, were fearful of harassment simply by the presence of the dozen or so gang members hanging around outside the building.

He said: "Closing the Co-op would be disastrous, the advice centre coming off there would be disastrous but I think that will have to happen and we will just finish up with derelict buildings after all the money spent by City Challenge.

"The Co-op has had a terrible time with people coming in and just whipping stuff off the shelves and closing it would be detrimental particularly to a lot of elderly people.

"The Co-op has spent a lot turning it into a lovely shop which people in the area really appreciate and the last thing we want is to lose it.

"The probation service has already pulled out under the grounds of health and safety because they kept having their windows broken and had to keep pulling their shutters down.

"Of course plenty of people on the estate need advice and we would have to move staff to other offices in the area but in the long term it's going to be detrimental.

"The group that are doing this just feel they can do what they want but we're not talking about more than a dozen youngsters."

A mother-of-three from Broadstone Way, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, said many people no longer went to the shop after dark.

She said people had been attacked inside the shop, and nearby houses and buildings were being vandalised.

She said: "This is a lovely estate but if we don't speak out it will return to the Holme Wood where buses and taxis won't drive through here.

"I won't go up there after 6 o'clock and I don't let my kids go there either."

Councillor John Ruding (Lab, Tong) said he was aware of problems affecting the Co-op but a CCTV camera was now in place which could pinpoint troublemakers and police were responding to anti-social behaviour spotted using the system.

"The Co-op is a very important facility for the local community and it's very sad that a small number of young people should cause this kind of problem for a very valued amenity."

The blow comes just eighteen months since a £60 million face lift was carried out at Holmewood transforming it from a run down crime-ridden estate into a development where people wanted to live.

Both unemployment and crime levels dropped dramatically and the estate became a model for the rest of the country after receiving £35 million City Challenge money from the government, boosted by Bradford Council and the private sector.

Former chairman of the City Challenge Board Councillor Tony Cairns said: "This is very disappointing after all the money spent on improvements. But I don't think it is wasted.

"The houses are still well looked after. But I hope this minority will not spoil it for everyone else.

I think there is vandalism everywhere but I would like to see a better police presence at Holme Wood."

Sergeant David Barret, of Dudley Hill police, said since September 2 an action plan had been started involving high visibility patrols.

He said: "Each time my officers have gone round it has been quiet but we will continue to keep an eye on the area."

Sgt Barret added he had not been aware of a problem until he was contacted by a concerned resident but officers had since spoken with Co-op staff and other shopkeepers on the parade.

Divisional Chief Officer for West Yorkshire Probation Service Randel Barrows said there used to be victim offender unit on the estate, but it had been forced to closed down and relocate owing to the problems.

"Staff were harassed and had to cope wit did have a problem with vandals.

"We still have a lease on the property and we are hoping to come back to possibly open a one stop shop for residents as there is a demand for it," he said.

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