RESIDENTS in Stratton are afraid to go to bed at night in case their homes are targeted by yobs while they are asleep.

The situation was revealed by one elderly woman who for months has had to endure nightly episodes of anti-social behaviour.

The woman, who lives near the derelict Wheatsheaf pub in Dores Road and who wished to remain anonymous, has complained of gangs of youths making loud noises well into the early hours, disturbing the peace and keeping residents awake at night.

The woman even revealed that she feared waking up one morning to find her house ransacked.

She said: “Residents have had stones thrown at them and have been subjected to a lot of verbal abuse. Rubbish bins are often thrown over walls and glass bottles are smashed all over the place.

“They do it right in front of people. They are not worried because they know people are frightened of them. It’s getting to the point when you get a mouthful of abuse whenever you leave the house.

“We have had the police up here many times, but there only seems to be so much they can do.

“The youngsters show a total lack of respect and I really hope something can be done soon.”

The problems stem from when the Wheatsheaf became disused around a year ago. Residents have since complained of people sleeping rough in the empty building and using it as a drug den.

Stratton St Margaret councillor Teresa Page, who represents the Upper Stratton ward, acknowledged the problems and hoped something could be done to address them.

She said: “Ever since the building became disused, youngsters have got in and have been poking around. There are some serious concerns because it has been abandoned for so long. There is a lot of rubbish and it’s a real eyesore.

“If the it could be put to some use, it might go some way towards addressing the anti-social behaviour problems.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.