Poo, drugs and prostitutes drive Manchester Road man to despair

Simon Dempster has lived on Salisbury Street for over 30 years but says the area has "turned to rack and ruin" with no signs of improvement.

He regularly clears away faeces deposited on his garage and used condoms strewn along the alley behind his home, sees fly-tipped rubbish and debris piled up along the streets, and often hears screaming and shouting outside after dark.

After returning home from working one night, he saw a prostitute and a client engaging in a sex act right behind his house.

Simon told the Adver: "The streets around Manchester Road have been allowed to become a problem area, people just accept it's a red light district and a sh**hole, which is despicable.

"It's like the Wild West out there, it's dreadful, with large groups of young lads driving around, congregating late at night and taking drugs. My partner won't even walk to the shops because people pester her.

"This wouldn't be accepted if it happened on Euclid Street or Marlborough Road, people here want to have some pride in where they live.

"I try to keep the spot near my home tidy but the amount of used condoms I find is unbelievable, and flies gather if I don't clean up the poo. I've spent so much on bleach...

"The council should be embarassed and ashamed. The police don't have enough resources to tackle the problems because of government cutbacks and the council won't engage with the community or do anything to help.

"There are double yellow lines in the alley, so if you park your car you'll get a ticket, but if you're dealing drugs or prostituting yourself, apparently that's fine.

"It's always been a colourful part of town but it's become increasingly unsafe. My son learned to ride his bike in these alleys but you wouldn't let any child walk down them now - it's pitch black and there are junkies, drug dealers and street drinkers."

Picture: DAVE COX

Simon suggested the council could make good on its suggestions to install CCTV or lighting in the alleys, or gate them off so that only residents can use them at night.

Despite often calling 101 to report disturbances, he claims little has been done to proactively clamp down on crime in the area, and that patrolling police drive past noticeable drug deals and antisocial behaviour without doing anything to stop it.

He recalled a public meeting at the Broad Green Community Centre in which people told of how they had been burgled - sometimes more than once - or had to fight off purse-snatchers in the street.

Inspector David Tippetts said: “We are aware of ongoing issues in the Manchester Road area of Swindon and we work hard to ensure a visible policing presence to both deter criminality, keep people safe and apprehend and detain offenders.

“We are working closely with partners, including the local parish council and Swindon Borough Council, to address the concerns which have been raised.

“We would encourage people to always report information to the police.

“If a crime is in progress then you should call 999, but if you have concerns about ongoing criminality or anti-social behaviour, then please still report this to us, by either calling 101 or visiting our website.

“This information is fed back to the policing teams, and they can build on this intelligence to organise additional patrols in specific areas or tackle issues such as drugs activity by making arrests.”

Swindon Borough Council has been approached for comment.

Picture: DAVE COX