IT is one year ago this month that hooligans terrorised a city street, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage to property.

Residents in Birch Avenue, off Tolladine Road, were at their wits end as children as young as four vandalised vehicles, kicked down fences and threw stones.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said he had been sent death threats after making complaints about the ‘gang’.

A video was posted at the time to the Facebook page ‘The Only Way is Tolly’ which showed around a dozen children being shouted at by a resident, before a woman runs in to defend them.

The children had reportedly “piled up a load of soil and rubble” on the man’s driveway and he had told them to remove it and then stay away from his property. It was believed the children’s ages ranged from four to 10 years.

A resident who did not wish to be named due to fears of repercussions, said: “Over the few years I’ve lived here these kids have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to my property and vehicles.

“In the last week alone, I’ve had stuff drawn on my door . My car was vandalised. My housemate’s van was vandalised. My friend’s van was spray painted. They kick holes in my fence.

“The first thing I do every day is check for nails under my tyres. “Every day there’s something else – people screaming at their disobedient children, children throwing stones, vandalism.”

He continued: “The police either don’t have any power to do anything or they just don’t care. If I had any way out of the house and the area, I would have left years ago.”

He added that the youth issue was just one of the problems blighting Tolladine, with others including moped gangs, drugs and fighting. He said the vandalism was “just one piece of a larger issue with antisocial behaviour in the area”.

However, writing on Facebook in response to the video, Chantel Kendrick defended the youths. “People forget kids are kids these days, they aren’t supposed to be perfect and I’m sure people have seen worse growing up in Tolladine over the years,” she said.

“They have to have a bit of respect, yes, and I know the parents are teaching the kids to respect people who respect them, so if he shouts his mouth off and swears at them, they are going to swear back. Anyway, speak to the parents, don’t go shouting abuse at the kids, it isn’t fair. And as for the recording and slating people’s family and kids on here – that’s low, no need for it.

“It’s playground behaviour, those poor kids,” she continued. “Some woman soaked those poor kids and thought it was funny . That’s cruel, I don’t care how bad they are, you don’t do that. Would you want someone to behave like that with your children?” What’s this world coming too?” she added.

Days later, police said there had been a “huge reduction” in reports of anti-social behaviour in Tolladine, despite residents claiming they are being terrorised by child hooligans.

A Birch Avenue resident, who did not wish to be named, said, in regard to the child gang: “The police either don’t have any power to do anything or they just don’t care.”

But PC Allan Figueiredo, of Gorse Hill and Rainbow Hill SNT, said: “To say we don’t care is not correct.

“The Safer Neighbourhood Team patrol the area on a regular basis and will engage with a majority of youths in the area.

“We have worked hard to reduce youth crime in the area and will continue to do so by working closely with housing associations and also the local youth centres to address any concerns raised.

“Unfortunately, children do play and will often push boundaries and our first course of action is to alert the parents to their children’s behaviour, from there we will go through the ASB process in an attempt to divert children from behaving in a criminal manner.”

He said police had been made aware of a Facebook video in which children are seen having an altercation with a resident in Birch Avenue, and would "be speaking to all parties involved about their behaviour in a public place”.

One Tolladine youth was given a Criminal Behaviour Order in March as a result of his behaviour across Worcester, which will run until 2021 and includes several conditions.

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