Drunk and violent teenagers are forcing a family to leave their home after turning a Kirkcaldy neighbourhood into a “war zone”.
Roddy Grant, 58, claims that groups of up to 40 youths are congregating on a nightly basis and terrorising residents of Wilson Avenue, in the town’s Valley area.
He was one of several residents who spoke of parents dropping off their children with alcohol in hand, with the teenagers then committing acts of drunken vandalism, defecating in gardens, swearing at householders and throwing items at passing traffic.
Mr Grant said that the gatherings are unrelenting, taking place on a nightly basis.
With the youths running over the roof of his car and attempting to break down his front door, he said that after five years, the time had now come to move his family out of the area.
“It’s mostly girls,” he said.
“They tried kicking down the door when we had our three-year-old granddaughter staying with us.
“This has been going on for weeks now and we’ve had enough so we’re moving out.
“I can’t even park my car on the street anymore.”
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, described the area as a “war zone”, saying that youngsters were tormenting local shop workers, jumping out in front of buses, and smashing empty alcohol bottles in a nearby park.
Another said that she was now frightened to leave her home in the evenings because of the size of the group and what she described as the “feral” behaviour she was witnessing.
“These kids are wild.”
“This has become a game to them now and these are not kids from deprived areas, these are well-heeled children.”
She added that after contacting the police and local councillors, steps were now being taken to tackle the situation.
She continued: “Parents are dropping their kids off here.
“Fridays are bad, Saturdays are bad but it can also be a Tuesday or a Thursday night as well.”
These latest reports follow a summer of disturbances in nearby Templehall last year, with residents stating their belief that many of the youngsters involved then have simply relocated to the Valley area.
Police, meanwhile, have said that they will work with the community in a bid to restore order in the area.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of the increase in reports of anti-social behaviour in Wilson Avenue, Kirkcaldy over the last few weeks and are targeting individuals and utilising a combination of plain clothed and high-visibility patrols in the area to tackle the issue.
“We are also working closely with our partners to come up with a longer term action plan.
“We absolutely support the community in Wilson Avenue to have peace in their homes and will continue to liaise with the community council and elected representatives to keep them fully updated as to our progress.”
jowatson@thecourier.co.uk.
