A MUM has spoken up about locking a gate at night to keep out the 'marauding gangs' of teenage yobs making life a misery for her children.
Hannah Windross battled her nerves to present the petition to have a footpath gate locked at night which she addressed a packed meeting at County Hall in Worcester.
The petition follows antisocial behaviour by the unruly youths in Gamekeepers Drive, Ploughmans Close and around the Fairfield Centre site which includes Warndon Library.
The beauty therapist has two children - Oliver, six, and Ewan, nine - who have seen and heard the youths causing damage and lost sleep because of their antics which have included letting off fireworks.
Ewan was left feeling 'scared' and ran away when he saw the older gang, aged around 13 to 15, kicking a fence.
He said he was sometimes tired the following day at school because he had been woken up.
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The 37-year-old mother-of-two, who has never done any formal public speaking, stood up and read out the petition at the full meeting of Worcestershire County Council.
The petition, which garnered close to 50 signatures, was drawn up by Warndon's Labour councillor Jill Desayrah after concerns were raised about youths kicking fences, throwing stones at houses and climbing on the roofs of Warndon Library, Fairfield Day Nursery and Buttercup Children's Centre.
Mrs Windross said: "This petition has been raised to show residents' support for once again locking the gate to the pathway between Gamekeepers Drive and the Fairfield Centre at night.
"This gate used to be padlocked each evening and reopened each morning.
"This allowed reasonable access to everyone, to and from the school, nursery and library and surrounding streets.
"Unfortunately some youths began rampaging around the site at night, coming in from Carnforth Drive or Goldsmith Road and kicking down the wooden fencing surrounding the gate."
Mrs Windross told assembled councillors: "Now that the gate is left unlocked 24/7 the marauding gangs have unrestricted access to those local streets."
The petition, which is now being considered by the county council, also calls for replacing a wooden fence by the unlocked gate with metal fencing.
After the meeting, Mrs Windross, said she hoped her being the 'face of the petition' would have a bigger impact on members of the council.
She said: "I'm just a mum just trying to protect her children and bring them up right. This is having an effect on my kids.
"I was nervous but it is very easy to sit on the sofa and complain about it. It's hard to find the courage to stand up and tell people about my concerns."
Cllr Jill Desayrah expressed the hope that other constituents would be able to show the same resolve as Hannah for issues they feel strongly about.
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