PENSIONERS being too scared to leave their homes, cars left damaged and buses unable to make journeys without losing a window are among the concerns blighting a town in County Durham.
During the last six months, residents living in Crook say they have experienced or witnessed an "endless list" of low-level offences carried out near their homes as they say groups of youths are "terrorising the community."
The Northern Echo has spoken to residents, the area's MP and the police to see how big the problem is and what is actually being done to help curb anti-social behaviour in a special report.
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Speaking to The Echo, one resident Rachael Cleasby, said the town was being forced to put up with the "constant" offending, with reports involving youths kicking in doors, elderly people scared to turn their light on during the evening and gangs who "own the place."
Mrs Cleasby said: “The list of offences that people have reported or told me about is shocking. Old people who fear that the youth will target them, a trend that’s going around that sees people get their door put in, and countless other incidents."
Like many, Mrs Cleasby has become so frustrated with the situation in Crook, she has helped to rally a 400-strong social media presence via Facebook group named, Crook Against Anti-Social Behaviour, which collects all the witness incidents and details about issues affecting the town.
Despite only helping in the group since it was set up three weeks ago, it has gained momentum and Mrs Cleasby has even been able to engage with Crook Police and its neighbourhood policing team.
But the concerned resident believes that more can be done, and this includes the addition of more CCTV, punishment of repeat offenders and increased communication from both the police and council.
She said: “Frustration in the town is creeping in because it seems like the same offenders are targeting areas and little is done.
"While I’m less frustrated because I’ve spoken to the police about plans moving forward, a lot are at the end of their tether."
Alongside the list of offences happening in Crook, windows getting smashed on public transport in the town is now commonplace, according to bus drivers.
One Arriva bus driver, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Echo that he was concerned about a serious injury after several incidents featured beer bottles getting thrown at buses, narrowly missing the heads of drivers by a few feet.
The driver said: “It’s getting to a point where it’s nearly every other day objects are getting thrown at buses, but it’s getting all too common that windows are getting smashed.”
In response to these unprovoked attacks, bus operator, Arriva has said the "safety of our staff and passengers" is of "paramount importance" and it takes incidents of antisocial behaviour "very seriously".
It added that it employs internal and external CCTV on all of its buses and provides footage to the police in every report.
But it is not just Arriva who is attempting to take action in Crook – MP for North West Durham, Richard Holden, has confirmed he has interacted with Crook Police and local councillors to help reduce the number of incidents.
During his most recent visit, Mr Holden visited Clemistons Pharmacy, which became the victim of an attack earlier this month when two of their windows got put through.
He said: “There have been reports of difficult anti-social behaviour in Crook in recent months that has been flagged to the police."
“While overall, given the size of the three towns area, ASB remains lower than in many other areas, with an average of fewer than three incidents a day, but when it does happen it can be very concerning to people, especially with some of these recent incidents which involve a group of young people."
Mr Holden said that 21 young people have been referred to Anti-Social Behaviour services, several have been arrested and 13 of them have been escalated to Youth Offending Services, with parents and guardians involved.
In response, Durham County Council and Durham Police say they are helping to reduce anti-social behaviour in Crook – saying every report of crime is taken “seriously,” urging parents to "take responsibility" of their children's behaviour.
Owen Cleugh, Durham County Council’s public protection manager, said: “Residents have a right to feel safe and supported in their communities and when concerns are raised about such behaviour, anywhere in the county, we work with partners and communities to address this.
“We are aware of some concerns being raised around some issues in Crook and are working closely with our partners at Durham Constabulary to tackle these and help to educate those involved.
“So far, we have issued warning letters, carried out home visits and implemented several Acceptable Behaviour Contracts. This is a voluntary written agreement between a young person and ourselves in which the young person agrees not to take part in specific anti-social acts.
“We will continue to monitor the situation in Crook alongside our partners and would encourage members of the public to report any incidents of anti-social behaviour.”
Read more: Crook town centre hit by two 'reckless' criminal damage acts
Inspector Ed Turner from Crook Police, added: “Anti-social behaviour and criminality is never acceptable and we continue to work closely with our partners and more importantly parents to problem-solve around the issue.
“We have had a really positive reaction from the majority of parents in a recent operation which has helped us to help them and we continue to urge the remaining minority to take personal responsibility for their children’s behaviour.”
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