Pensioners ‘too scared to leave their homes’ as youths terrorise Morecambe village

Police have now said they will increase patrols in the area after a spate of incidents left pensioners in fear.

Frank Gretton, 80, said there are regularly groups of up to 20 youths hanging around the village square in the early evening.

This has been a common occurrence in recent years, particularly during the school holidays, but has recently got worse.

Many of those involved are around 14 or 15 years old, although some are younger, and are a mix of girls and boys, usually wearing hoodies and some on bikes and scooters.

Incidents in recent weeks include cars being scratched, doors being kicked, and damage to the church gardens.

"The older people here don't go out because they are too scared," Mr Gretton said.

Another resident said they were now choosing to go to mass at the church during the day rather than the evening, as they were too fearful of going out at night.

"The main problem is we don't have policing support," they said. "We can't get through by phone or go into the police station to speak to anyone.

"We feel abandoned."

The concern comes as local police said they were stepping up patrols in certain 'hot spots' for anti-social behaviour, particularly during the school holidays.

These mainly centred around Happy Mount Park in Morecambe and Lancaster Bus Station.

However, Sgt James Martin from Lancaster and Morecambe Neighbourhood Policing Team said Torrisholme would now be added to their regular patrol plans to help allay concerns.