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Vandals target gates installed to cut crime

Paul FaulknerLocal Democracy Reporting Service
News imageLDRS/PA A black metal security gate on Manchester Road in Preston blocks access to a rear service alley behind a row of red-brick terraced properties. Beyond the gate are garages, wheelie bins and parked vehicles along a paved access road. Brick walls border both sides of the entrance, and multi-storey residential buildings can be seen in the background. The scene is captured in daylight under partly cloudy skies.LDRS/PA
The gates were introduced to restrict access to problem alleyways and ginnels

Locks installed to help prevent crime and antisocial behaviour have been "deliberately damaged".

Vandalism has been reported at alleygates across Preston, including on Manchester Road in Frenchwood, where residents said locks had been tampered with and substances jammed into them.

The gates were introduced to restrict access to problem alleyways and ginnels, with many residents saying they had reduced nuisance behaviour, theft and drug-related activity.

Councillor Connor Dwyer said some gates and locks had been "deliberately damaged". After repairs are carried out, the local authority will write to nearby residents "to make clear that this is criminal damage and antisocial behaviour".

News imageLDRS/PA A narrow residential back alley off Ainslie Road in Preston runs between rows of red-brick terraced houses. The alley is surfaced with concrete and asphalt and is lined with wooden fences, brick walls and garage buildings. A blue one-way traffic sign with a left-pointing white arrow stands at the entrance on the left, with a smaller sign reading "One way" beneath it. Wheelie bins are positioned along the alley, and a parked vehicle is visible in the distance. Utility poles and overhead wires run above the lane. The scene is photographed on a bright, sunny day with clear skies.LDRS/PA
There were also calls for gates to be installed in alleyways that remain open to the public, including on Ainslie Road

Preston City Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was aware of what it described as "criminal damage".

The issue came to light during a public consultation on the future of the gates, which are installed on about 125 streets.

One resident said locks on gates had been tampered with and appeared to have had "something like glue" put into them.

They also reported substantial fly-tipping and minor antisocial behaviour in the alley during the last year.

Support for the gates remained unanimous among those who responded to the consultation, however, with several residents calling for them to be introduced in their own neighbourhoods.

One respondent said they had made "a huge difference" by stopping "just anyone wandering around the backs of people's houses" and helping residents feel more secure.

'Visible patrols'

Another said their area had been plagued by "drug users, bin theft and antisocial behaviour" before the gates were fitted.

However, one resident noted that keyholders could still fly-tip in the enclosed spaces and said gates were sometimes left open, allowing unauthorised access.

There were also calls for gates to be installed in alleyways that remain open to the public, including on Ainslie Road in Plungington, where one person reported an increase in drug dealing and claimed the ginnels were being used as meeting points.

Dwyer said: "The council has listened to the feedback from the consultation and responded to concerns about antisocial behaviour and fly-tipping.

"Where residents have raised specific issues, we have acted where needed. This includes visible patrols at key times and community protection warnings for repeated antisocial behaviour."

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