Calls for action over anti-social behaviour in Worcester city centre

Paul Harding, of Discover History, has claimed groups of "intimidating" youths have been regularly sighted on his 6pm tours of the city.

Mr Harding claims the groups are becoming "quite a nuisance" and wants to see a great police presence in the city centre.

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He said: "It is not uncommon for us to see the groups cycling dangerously, banging on doors and windows and throwing rubbish down the streets on Angel Place and The Cross.

"They can be in groups of 10 to 20 people at a time a lot of them hide their faces behind face coverings, scarves, and balaclavas.

"For people walking through the city, especially people on their own, this can be extremely intimidating and certainly does not paint the city in a good light. They are becoming quite a nuisance"

We had a tour at that time last night. We usually get large groups with hoodies and face masks. Plus a few gangs on bikes. They race towards our group and start being intimidating. It looks bad for tourists.

— Discover History (@DiscoverhistPH) November 13, 2022

Mr Harding runs tours of the city alongside his wife and business partner, Helen, and said he has been noticing the groups ever since covid restrictions ended.

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He said:" They are usually between 16 to 18 years old, and it is something we never really noticed before the pandemic began.

"The oddest thing is that on our 7.30pm tours, the groups are nowhere to be seen, and I often wonder if this is because more doormen and bouncers are out at this time.

"Worcester has Purple Flag status and I believe the city is a safe place to be, but members of our tours have often commented on the lack of police in the evenings.

"I know police cannot be everywhere at once but it needs addressing really. We do not want to have to avoid certain areas or change our tour times."

Cllr Lynn Denham. (Image: Councillor Lynn Denham)

Cllr Lynn Denham, city councillor for Cathedral ward, believes “more is needed” for young people to do in order to lower anti-social behaviour.

She said: “I have seen Mr Harding’s reports on social media and I believe that more is needed for these young people to do if we hope to see anti-social behaviour decrease.

“We have a great community safety team at the city council which can hopefully help people like this causing issues.

“Scouts and church groups are not for everyone, so if there are more positive things to do then hopefully this kind of behaviour will be seen less and less.”

We have contacted West Mercia Police but nobody was available to comment.