Yobs, fly-tipping, XL Bully dogs and violence - the Huddersfield estate residents say is 'like Beirut'

Dad-oftwo Ritchie Thomas loves motoring around on his four-wheel electric scooter and is only too happy to park up and chat about life in Huddersfield.

Three years ago he settled in Sheepridge and he says it's 'nice and quiet', certainly compared with Bradford, where he used to live. He has welcomed a recently-launched crackdown by police and the council on 'crime and grime' in the Ashbrow ward, which includes Deighton, Bradley, Fartown and Sheepridge.

Police have promised to 'clear out' the criminal gangs that blight these estates. They have already made several arrests while the council has focused on shifting the various piles of dumped waste, from old fridges to rain-sodden sofas.

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Ritchie, 62, a former landscape gardener and a single parent, says that having children focuses the mind on crime and their safety. He's only too aware of the tragic murder of Khayri McLean, 15, outside a nearby high school where many local children attend. He is aware that gangs have been a problem and continue to be so.

While he welcomed the police crackdown, which is known as Clear, Hold, Build, Ritchie thinks the area could benefit from a more visible police presence - and not just when crimes happen, but all the time. "I wish the police would walk round more, like they used to do in the old days," he said.

He says young people's behaviour can be a 'bit mental' at times and, like many other areas, there are issues with gangs. And while he backed the police crackdown, he wondered if the prisons can take any more inmates.

"There's not enough room in the prisons," he said. "They could build more prisons as long as they are not in our street. They (the prisons) have got to be on the outskirts.

"Lock people up for serious crimes and not silly crimes."

Ritchie thinks more 'beat bobbies' would help steer young people away from trouble, especially if officers chatted to people face to face. At the moment, he doesn't feel that the streets of Sheepridge are safe after dark.

"I don't go out after dark," he said. "I don't let the kids out after dark. I feel that everywhere is not safe."

He has seen some evidence that West Yorkshire Police have been getting some boots on the ground in recent months, which he welcomed. "There were a couple of lady officers who came around, especially over summer," he said. "They need to be mixing with the community and chatting to people."

One mum spoke to Yorkshire Live but didn't want to give her name as she had fled domestic violence. She had stayed in temporary accommodation in Huddersfield before being given a property in the Deighton area.

"It is what it is," she said with a shrug. "Deighton is rough."

She recently saw a policewoman chatting to local kids and encouraging them to attend a local youth club, so she believes some work is taking place on the frontline. She claims that too many kids say 'I'm off to get my dad' when street arguments get heated, but this only escalates matters due to people being too aggressive. And she said some local people were too fearful of calling the police due to being labelled a 'grass'.

She said some families could be 'intimidating' to others and it was common to see dog breeds such as XL Bullies being used to frighten people.

Asked about the latest police crackdown, she rolled her eyes and laughed. "It's alright saying it - I need to see it," she said. "I believe police turn a blind eye to a lot of stuff."

Asked about her own street, which she did not want to name, she said: "It's like Beirut where I live. I heard an XL Bully got out and bit a boy."

As we chatted, the smell of cannabis drifted by. "Each to their own - but not in the street," she said, adding: "This is not a nice area to live with your kids."

The police and council action also extends to Fartown and is expected to be an ongoing scheme.

Mum and son James and Eunice have lived in Fartown for around 50 years - and they both love the area, and Huddersfield in general, even though they don't like the fly-tipping on the streets. James, 52, can name all the tipping 'hotspots' around Fartown, and he says prostitution is still a problem.

"It's a prostitution hotspot," he said, referring to the area around Alder Street. "It hasn't troubled us that much. I have heard people outside my window - arguments in the street late at night."

He and Eunice backed the police and council crackdown. "Everything that can be done is good, especially fly-tipping," he said. "There is a cycle track where we always see rats and fly-tipping.

"I like this town in general. I know people have a problem with immigration but it's a well integrated town."

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