IT is the quaint-looking home to a world-famous carnival, but Bridgwater is gaining a more unpleasant reputation for balaclava-clad gangs and teenage yobs wielding machetes.
Locals in the Somerset town are terrified to walk the streets after dark, with some even avoiding the troubled high street during daylight hours.
SWNSBridgwater in Somerset has been plagued by crime in recent times[/caption]
AlamyThe pretty town centre with St Mary’s Church in the middle[/caption]
SWNSThe high street can be a problem when street drinkers congregate, locals say[/caption]
SWNSDuvets and blankets line many of the doorways and alleys[/caption]
This situation has got so bad that town council leader Brian Smedley recently raised the escalating anti-social behaviour with local police, the homeless department, and the town wardens.
Residents and businesses say the ‘flea pit’ town has become overrun by gangs of youngsters, drug dealing, street drinking and shoplifting.
Becky Webber, 35, manager of The Fountain Pub, said: “It’s a friendly town, everybody knows each other and helps each other, especially in the pub trade, but it’s very intimidating for people, especially the elderly.
“I went to school with some of the street drinkers, and they’re really decent people who’ve just lost their way in life.
“They are intimidating if they’re outside the bank and people are walking past, but they’re not the biggest issue.
“It’s the kids that hang around in gangs that are the main problem. They are in big groups of 14–16-year-olds, and it’s getting worse.
“If I had to deal with the drinkers or the young kids I’d pick the drinkers, because the young gangs are terrifying.
“They carry machetes, you see comments on social media, and we go to Pubwatch, so we know what goes on, and they do carry weapons.
AlamyThe picturesque Quay at Bridgwater in Somerset[/caption]
SWNSBridgwater police have been urged to tackle the rising problem[/caption]
AlamyThe bustling high street is cherished by locals, but some say it is increasingly dangerous[/caption]
SWNSMany shops have been boarded up[/caption]
“With what some of them are wearing, all you can see is their eyes, as they wear balaclavas and all black with hoods.
“They just hang around, walking around town scaring people and damaging property.
“The drinkers are a nuisance, but they don’t carry weapons and they don’t threaten people.
“It would be nice if there was a different location for them to go instead of hanging round at the bottom of the high street.”
Intimidating gangs
The groups congregate at the bottom of Fore Street, outside the Nationwide building society
On the chilly day The Sun visited they could be seen arguing with each other and begging for money, one saying he had to buy food and alcohol for his pregnant girlfriend.
Some shops are boarded up and duvets and blankets line many of the doorways and alleys.
John Dobson, 59, a retired telecoms worker who lives in nearby Woolavingdon, having moved out of the town centre in the Eighties, said: “I only come here to use the bank and I don’t want to be in town very long because it’s a fleapit now.
“There are people standing around drunk, many shops have closed and don’t look like they’re ever going to open again.
“I’ve been at the cashpoint before, and someone will ask for money saying they want to get a bus or whatever.
“It’s aggressive begging that’s happening here.
“There are a lot of people here who have got a lot of problems.
There are a lot of undesirables, and it makes me feel uneasy. I live in the town and there are always groups hanging around.
Adrian Fraser
“Years ago, they would have been looked after in hospital but the essence of our society that cared for people is gone and they’ve been left on their own, which causes problems for them and for the rest of us.
“I’m an older man now, and when I see big groups of young people, I want to walk the other way.
“They’re always drinking energy drinks; the way they speak, you can tell they are on something; they smell of cannabis, and I think the police have given up enforcing the law with this.
“Where I live in Woolavingdon the smell of cannabis is rife.
“I don’t think the council can tackle this on their own because it’s a nationwide problem, and Bridgwater is just one of those places that’s suffering.”
Street brawling
One shop manager told how street brawling has forced them to barricade themselves and their customers inside the shop in order to protect themselves.
Unwilling to be identified for fear of reprisals, they said: “We’ve had people moving into the closed down shop nearby, using it as a drug dealing den and selling drugs from there.
“There are brawls breaking out all the time and sometimes this means we have to lock ourselves in or shut down early.
SWROCULast December a farmer was astonished to discover £15m of cocaine being smuggled in animal feed[/caption]
SWROCUThe astonishing haul led to four arrests[/caption]
SWNSA police cordon at a crime scene last year[/caption]
“We’re frequently having stock stolen and we’ve called the police and wardens, but there isn’t a lot that they can do.”
Even the three charity units on the road regularly fall foul of shoplifters, and some store owners have witnessed their stolen goods being sold on in broad daylight.
“The behaviour is disgusting and it’s giving Bridgwater a bad name when it has so much going for it,” said one.
“I don’t want to give my name, or I’ll get a brick through the window.”
Claim to fame
Bridgwater is famous for its carnival, which is believed to be the largest illuminated festival of light in the world and attracts 150,000 spectators a year.
But in the town centre local business owners fear tourists and shoppers are being put off.
Adrian Fraser, 60, has run Cornhill Records from the historical town’s pretty indoor market for five years.
He said: “I get things nicked all the time. Just last week I had a couple come in and walk off with a couple of CDs.
“It’s a major problem in the town as it is elsewhere.
They have no manners and no respect. I had a glass bottle thrown at me and my daughter as we walked through the park.
Lorna White
“There are a lot of undesirables, and it makes me feel uneasy. I live in the town and there are always groups hanging around.
“Most of its drugs related, you see people doing drug deals in the car park and it makes you feel vulnerable and that it’s not very safe in the town, especially after dark, when I’d be quite nervous.
“The gangs of young kids are everywhere, they have their hoods up and are wearing balaclavas and face masks and all you see is their eyes.
Brigwater crime stats
BRIDGWATER was named Somerset’s most dangerous medium-sized town last year, with a crime rate that measured 133 per cent higher than the rest of the South West.
Out of the 414 towns, villages and cities in the county, Bridgwater ranks among the top 20 most dangerous areas in Somerset
In 2022, the crime rate measured at 131 crimes per 1,000 people – 102 per cent higher than the Somerset rate of 65 per 1,000 residents.
In July 2022, the town became Somerset’s most dangerous area for possession of weapons, recording 5 crimes at a rate of 0.13 per 1,000 residents.
That year, 2,358 violence and sexual offences were recorded in Bridgwater.
“It makes you feel really edgy when you see them riding around on their E-scooters.”
“When you walk through town you see loads of drunks hanging around and it puts tourists and shoppers off.
“Some people won’t walk through the centre, they walk round the backway to try to avoid it all.
“What needs to be done in my view is some sort of public order to stop people drinking in the street, the ones who are dossing around. It shouldn’t be allowed unless it’s outside a pub.”
Lorna White, 54, is a traffic monitor, who has lived in Bridgwater for 17 years after relocating from Birmingham.
She said: “A lot of the problems in the town are homelessness- based and a lot are alcohol and drug based, which is just a vicious circle, but there’s nowhere for them to go.
“The other problem is the young adolescent groups who are out of control.
“They have no manners and no respect. I had a glass bottle thrown at me and my daughter as we walked through the park.
“I was so angry I confronted the gang. There were about five of them, all dressed in black or grey hoodies with masks, always dark colours, but my daughter dragged me away because she was worried.
“It never used to worry me, being from a city like Birmingham, but because they carry knives and it’s got a lot worse; I won’t come out after dark.
AlamyBridgwater is home to a famous carnival[/caption]
“I don’t blame the police because their resources are limited, and the youths know they can’t touch them. There’s always one mouthy one too.
“They start on the man having a drink and he’s not doing anything, just having a drink. It’s got worse over the last six to 12 months.”
Councillor Smedley also raised his concerns with the homeless department and the town wardens, as he said Bridgwater needs a multi-agency response to its anti-social issues.
Police said they had issued businesses with dairies so they could make a record of any ASB they witnessed, but only one business The Sun spoke to said they had one.
Police sergeant Kat Forrest said: “The town centre team has issued anti-social behaviour diaries to businesses to better understand the perceived issue.
“We have dedicated town centre patrols, with the assistance of the wider neighbourhood team, to be a visible presence in the town, and we are in regular contact with the town wardens.
“We use ASB legislation when grounds allow the dispersal of groups, but strict criteria must be met, and we cannot use it excessively as this would become unlawful.
“We have arrested and charged persons with public order offences and assaults on police officers and PCSO, and two are currently waiting for sentencing.”
Fighting back
A spokesman for Somerset Council said it is “aware of the concerns about anti-social behaviour in Bridgwater and is actively working with its Police partners to address these, potentially through the introduction of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO)”.
They added: “A consultation with local businesses, residents and stakeholders would be carried out before a PSPO is brought into effect.
“Somerset Council urges residents and visitors to report anti-social behaviour such as street drinking, vandalism or littering. They should report it to the Police or to Somerset Council. Reports of antisocial behaviour will help the Council and its partners to tackle problems together.
“Bridgwater Town Wardens also provide a strong visible presence in the town centre, to help and advise shoppers and visitors to the town centre encourage safe use of the town centre and its amenities.”