Claims that intimidating gangs of youngsters are deterring visitors to a Sudbury beauty spot are being exaggerated, according to the area’s highest profile resident.
Ongoing concerns have been raised about teenagers dropping litter, drinking alcohol, allegedly causing damage to parked vehicles and aggravating the swans at The Croft, which leads to the famous water meadows and River Stour.
But Lord Andrew Phillips, who lives at The Croft, believes the complaints are unnecessarily putting the town in a bad light.
Inspector Danny Cooper, of Suffolk police, said officers were aware that a group of youths had been reported as congregating and leaving litter around The Croft in recent weeks and that this had “raised some concern with the local community”.
In addition, the town’s community warden Bradley Smith, who has the power to issue fines for low level antisocial behaviour such as littering, also spoke out.
He said: “I had never seen so many kids down there and it is quite intimidating.
“The problem is that there are no PCSOs after dark and they were the ones targeting low level antisocial behaviour in the past.”
But Lord Phillips said the problem is not as bad as is being made out.
“It’s true that this year the youngsters who are aged between 15 and 18 seem to be coming down here in greater numbers than in the past,” Lord Phillips said.
“I have to go out there once every week or so and talk with them – sometimes it’s about noise and I have to ask them to turn their music down and other times it’s about litter.
“However as long as one puts it as a request rather than an order, I find that on the whole they are very reasonable.
“They tend to go over onto the benches on the other side of the river and I think mostly their behaviour is not intimidating.”
He added: “Sudbury has so many positive things going on – it’s a shame to put the spotlight on the town for the wrong reasons.”
Inspector Cooper said officers from the Safer Neighbourhood Team work closely with the Town Council and are “monitoring the situation.”
He added: “We urge members of the public to report any issues to police to enable us to take action against those committing antisocial behaviour or other criminal activity.”
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