Clean up for the village

ONE boarded-up door had the word junkies' daubed over it in large pink writing while needles and other drugs paraphernalia littered the grass around it.

This is just one house in the Railway Village an area that has become plagued by drug dealers and addicts to the extent that a lot of residents are afraid to go out of their front doors.

And yesterday, the police and the council swung into action to try to make a difference.

One hundred years ago the Railway Village was the thriving heart of Swindon's cultural life where the workers lived their day-to-day lives in a peaceful community created especially to house them.

But now in the 200th anniversary year of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's birth, it is a different world with drug-users dominating the neighbourhood.

"They deal openly in the street," said one Emlyn Square man, too intimidated to give his name.

"This area has become a dumping ground by the council for the town's drug addicts and ne'er-do-wells.

"It is very scary out there sometimes. Graffiti is everywhere and vandalism is also a huge problem.

"Walking down the street can be terrifying sometimes as it is quite common to get abuse screamed at you by an addict just if they think you are looking at them the wrong way."

Swindon Council admits there is a problem and claims it is linked to the number of bedsits in the area as the single people that are placed in this type of accommodation are more likely to have alcohol or drug-related problems, with a lot of them having been homeless beforehand.

Now, the authority is trying to revive the area with a programme to change the bedsits into flats to try to attract different sorts of tenants, including couples and young families.

One man who lives in Oxford Street, who was also too afraid to be named, said: "We've had problems for the past few years here. The council and the police are trying their best but they don't seem to be having much impact.

"Last year they turfed out a major drug dealer, and I must admit the area for a few months became a lot more peaceful, but then he came back and in the last six months things have been getting steadily worse again."

One elderly lady of Bathgate Street said: "This used to be a lovely area.

"But nowadays with all that you see going on I am afraid to even step out of my door. There are always people shouting and arguing and you never know what will happen."

Martha Parry, of the Mechanics Preservation Trust, has been campaigning for years to get the area cleaned up.

She said: "There are definitely deep-seated social problems in the Railway Village which are blighting the area for the rest of the residents.

"We have been doing all we can to try and keep the area maintained and so much needs to be done.

"The council clean-up is definitely a step in the right direction and it is up to us now to make sure we keep a close eye on things and report everything we see."

Coun David Renard (Con, Haydon Wick), Swindon Council's cabinet member for housing, said: "We are looking at a number of ways to revitalise this area which is at the core of Swindon's railway heritage.

"It is acknowledged that there are a lot of problems, but we are trying to counter this by putting in a programme to change the types of accommodation available.

"This would lead to different types of tenants coming into the area, who would be less likely to have as many social problems."

I'm too scared to sleep here'

KERRY Mcevoy, 31, has a two-year-old daughter Ella and they live in fear every day.

They have lived at East Street in the Railway Village for 16 months.

But she says her life is being made a misery.

"This is supposed to be the flagship of Swindon, what the town's heritage was built on but things have really gone downhill," she said.

"I'm too scared to sleep here at night because of everything that goes on around here.

"I have had needles put through my letterbox and the council know about it. They have given me a hazard control box to put them in.

"But I'm so frightened Ella could touch one of them. She is walking around and I can't watch her all the time.

"I've also had dogs' mess and used condoms put through the letter box, it's disgusting."

Kerry, pictured, also claims that her ground-floor flat was in such a state of disrepair that she had to foot the bill herself to make it habitable.

"The person who lived here before me was obviously a colourful character and I get men knocking on my door asking if I want business.

"I've also had drug dealers knocking on the door. It's really scary."

Now Miss Mcevoy wants the council to get her out of East Street and into an area more suitable to bring up a child.

"It's awful living here. The council know about the problems but nothing has been done. Even if there are no houses available in other parts of the village where I would like to stay to be close to my parents and Ella's pre-school, then I don't know why they can't get me into a private let until something comes up.

"I don't feel safe here."

Area is blitzed

ARMED with litter-pickers and anti-graffiti sprays, a small army of council employees took to the streets of the Railway Village to give it a good clean-up.

The community awoke yesterday morning to the sounds of graffiti being washed off signs and walls across the village while at the same time dozens of litter-pickers analysed every street to make sure that not a crisp packet or cigarette butt remained in sight.

This was all part of Operation Safe and Clean, a scheme that has already been carried out in Pinehurst and the Broad Green area.

The joint council, police and fire brigade scheme aims to boost community spirit and inspire the people living there to keep up the good work.

The idea was also to reduce the fear of crime and make people feel safer in their homes.

During the clean-up, 270 graffiti tags were removed from walls and signs, as well as the walls along London Street being completely painted over.

Thirty-four bags of litter were picked up by the paper-pickers, as well as four lots of bulky rubbish, like fridges and televisions, being removed.

They also cleared up five needles, and reprimanded one other householder who had been putting needles in his domestic waste. They informed him how to properly dispose of them.

Fire crews and police officers were also on the scene carrying out home safety checks, with 19 people getting smoke alarms fitted and four properties having better security installed.

Cheri Wright, from Swindon Council's crime and disorder team, said: "The whole idea is to make this a community again that people can be proud of.

"By cleaning it up, we can make people proud and hopefully keep it clean as well. On the whole the day was a great success and we hope that it can be kept this way."

PC Paul Best led a team of police officers who carried out safety checks and informed residents on what they can do to feel safe.

He said: "It was a very positive morning. The personal feedback we received from residents was very good.

"Obviously we are very aware of the problems that have plagued this community and the main advice we were able to give was how they can make a difference by informing us of activity.

"People do feel very intimidated by going to the police, but they can also contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 anonymously."