Ban these yobs

Debbie Fuller, 48, of Shelby Road, Durrington, said: "Get these families out of our street.

"We want ASBOs on the troublemakers. Southern Housing and the police know who these families are and we want them to take action."

Mrs Fuller became the latest victim of the yobs when she broke her arm while chasing youths from her friend's garden late on Friday night.

She said: "We heard scuffling and noises outside my friend's house and saw the kids looking through the window.

"I ran out of the front of my friend's house and she went out the back. I ran out of the front door, tripped on a drain and went flying."

She said that she is worried about the welfare of some of the children, who are sometimes hanging around the streets until 5am.

"Some children as young as nine are smoking drugs and drinking. We see them lying in the gutter, completely out of it."

On Friday night (August 22) around 20 police officers wearing stab vests ran through the estate dispersing the youths thought to be responsible for a catalogue of anti-social offences.

The Herald reported two weeks ago that yobs had been setting fire to cats, smashing windows, verbally abusing residents, and covering property with graffiti.

Chief Inspector Russ Whitfield said that the police hoped to apply to magistrates for ASBOs and anti-social behavioural contracts (ABCs) and were collecting evidence to support applications.

Chief Insp Whitfield said: "We are looking very much at taking out ASBOs and ABCs, as we always do in instances such as these. It's necessary for us to gather the evidence first and that is what is taking place under the command of Inspector Martin Pattenden, but we are all already working on these."

The orders can be applied for by police, local authorities and social housing associations, such as Southern Housing, and can result in disruptive tenants being evicted from their homes.

Sue O'Keeffe, secretary of the Shelby Road area tenants' association said that they were in a state of "frustration and desperation".

She added that many residents had handed evidence over to the police, but now live in fear of repercussions.

"We cannot go any further without ending up in danger."

At the time of going to press nobody from Southern Housing was available for comment.

RIGHT: Debbie Fuller broke her arm chasing yobs on her Durrington estate.

PICTURE BY STEPHEN GOODGER W35290