Bristol estate cleared of yobs
Residents were suffering at the hands of youths aged between 10 and 17 making noise, committing criminal damage, intimidating residents and racing vehicles around the area.
The youths would congregate at the junction of Ventnor Road.
Residents say that the youths were drinking alcohol underage and there were rumours of drugs.
While most of the problems took place at night there were also incidents during the day.
Police also received complaints about anti-social behaviour in Meadowvale Road, Selby Road, Harewood Road, Derwent Road, and Hudds Vale Road.
Officers secured a dispersal order for October until December which allows them to come and move the youths on and residents in the area feel the situation has improved.
However none were prepared to be named by the Evening Post in case trouble flared up again.
One resident in Ventnor Road said: "Many of them looked like they should be in school but if the sun was out they would be there.
"There were instances where they were shouting in the middle of the night and some people have had their cars attacked for no reason.
"Generally they were just hanging about making a nuisance of themselves and I think elderly residents could be quite intimidated about going to get their paper of milk.
"You would often here cars and motorbikes racing about and a few times there have been off road vehicles as well.
Police do drive around the area but of course the kids just hide and get back to what they were doing after they have gone.
"To be fair, since the dispersal order was in place things have seemed to get better.
"We just need police to keep a presence in the area and keep checking on the problem.
"There is another community meeting with police at the end of August so we can discuss all the issues again but at the moment things are looking up."
A female resident on the same road said: "I have only lived here for around 12 months and it got pretty bad.
"Some people have had their cars damaged late at night when the kids are on their way home and get in an argument.
"I think it is like many other places where children chose a spot to hang out near a shop because they want access to stuff like drinks and sweets.
"I know one of my neighbours didn't like going up to the shops because they found it intimidating but recently I have seen them going again so it's obviously getting a bit better."
A resident on Maldowers Lane added: "At least the police seemed to listen to complaints and did something about it.
"At the moment it seems to be better but it has been very wet so it has kept them indoors a bit more."
Police Anti Social Behaviour Coordinator Natalie Chmura said: "The dispersal order in Speedwell was applied for by the police in response to the complaints about nuisance and anti-social behaviour made by people in the local community.
"The dispersal powers enabled us to tackle the problem by moving on any groups of people who were causing a nuisance and allowing us to ensure these groups did not return to the area for a period of 24 hours.
"We are pleased that local residents have noticed a difference because of the measures we put in place. We urge anyone who has a problem with anti-social behaviour in their local area to contact the police and we will work together with our partners to tackle the problem."
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