‘Charge outsiders for rubbish service’

THE North Wales streets where attacks or assaults are most likely to occur have been revealed. High Street, Bangor, has seen the most attacks over a five-year period; followed by Abergele Road, Conwy; Water Street, Rhyl and High Street, Wrexham.

The figures for every street were released following a Freedom of Information request (FOI) to North Wales Police (NWP) covering the start of 2015 to the end of 2019.

In total there were 70,985 recorded assaults on the region’s highways, roads and avenues, over that period and they had nearly doubled from 9,665 in 2015 to 17,979 in 2019.

Wrexham had the most with 16,610; Flintshire was second with 12,737; Denbighshire third – 12,693; Conwy fourth – 12,110; Gwynedd fifth – 11,017 and Anglesey sixth with 5,717.

Here the Mail looks at the top 10 streets in North Wales which have seen the most assaults and attacks over the last five years.

High Street in Bangor was the most violent in North Wales according to the data with more than 550 attacks.

They have almost doubled from 78 in 2015 to 149 in 2019.

In July last year a police officer’s stun gun was stolen after he was set upon.

With nearly 520 attacks over five years, Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, is the second place in North Wales where an attack is likely to take place.

Again incidents have shown a big rise since 2015 when there was 89. In 2019 there were 155. In both years that was more than Bangor’s High Street. But the years in between 2016-18 saw fewer attacks.

In October last year an assault caused the closure of a shop as part of the road was taped off.

The levels of violence in Water Street, Rhyl, have remained consistent over the five years with 72 in 2015; 90 in 2016; 95 in 2017; 85 in 2018 and 84 in 2019.

In October 2018, doorman Amor Guerchi was left scarred for life after a man bit his ear in a row over pizza.

During June 2017 a man was stabbed on the street.

With a lot of pubs and bars in a short space, the area has seen a rise in attacks over the five-year period.

In 2015 there were 49, but that rose to 96 in 2018. Last year there were 81.

In 2019 magistrates banned Daniel Skimmings from all pubs, clubs and bars in four counties after he headbutted two men in an unprovoked bar attack.

Attacks and assaults on this street have more than doubled over the last five years.

In 2015 there were 40, but in 2019 they stood at 97.

During November 2018 armed police swooped on the street after a man with a “handgun” attempted to rob a newsagents.

Another small road in the centre of Wrexham which has pubs and takeaways on. There has been a rise in attacks from 55 in 2015 to 79 in 2019, peaking in 2017 with 90.

In November 2018, Courtney Jane Taylor-Braithwaite received a ban from every pub in Wrexham after a bar manager was glassed.

With mostly shops and a few pubs, High Street is one of Rhyl’s main thoroughfares.

Incidents have risen since 2015 which saw 55 incidents, to 106 in 2019.

In April 2017 a man was left in hospital in a serious condition after reports of a confrontation between a group of men in a flat.

Another town centre road near to Wrexham’s hub of bars and pubs, Brook Street has also seen a rise in incidents from 48 in 2015 to 75 in 2019.

In November 2017, a man who fractured another’s jaw in two places with a boxer-style punch on the road, was locked up.

During October 2016 a young man was left with a head injury following reports of an assault, sparking a police appeal.

Bridge Road, Wrexham, has seen a massive rise in incidents recorded since the opening of HMP Berwyn in February in 2017.

In 2015 there were 0 incidents and in 2016 just four. But in the three years after, there were 41 in 2017; 131 in 2018 and 120 last year.

During December 2019 an air ambulance was called after a prisoner was allegedly assaulted.

Another town centre road in Wrexham on the pub and bar trail, close to Brook Street, High Street and Abbot Street. Again the street has seen a rise from 39 incidents in 2015 to 56 in 2019.

A drunk joiner was given a community order at the beginning of last year after grabbing an officer’s privates.

GWYNEDD should consider asking neighbouring councils for contributions towards their recycling centres if used by residents from outside the county.

This was among the ideas tabled by councillors during a discussion on the authority’s waste collection service, with members broadly supportive of changes being brought in to improve the offering.

Gwynedd Council operates eight recycling centres across the county, namely Caernarfon, Bala, Bangor, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Dolgellau, Harlech, Pwllheli and Garndolbenmaen.

In 2018 it shelved long-term plans to shut one of the centres in a bid to save £100,000 due to “their popularity with the general public”.

But suggestions have now been made that Gwynedd should consider asking neighbouring councils for contributions towards the running costs of some “border” centres.

Addressing the Communities Scrutiny Committee meeting in Caernarfon on Tuesday, one Blaenau Ffestiniog councillor outlined the popularity of the town’s facility with residents living in Conwy county.

Cllr Glyn Daniels, who represents Diffwys a Maenofferen, said: “The Blaenau Ffestiniog centre is on the border with Conwy, how many Conwy residents are using our centre (in Blaenau) and Bala, and how much is this costing the authority?

“I know Conwy residents often have to pay to use their centres and I’m sure that people living Betws y Coed, for example, aren’t going to travel all the way to Mochdre are they?

“It would be an idea to have some sort of arrangement in place, based on what its costing us.”

In response, members were told that while this was not currently being monitored and had not been explored in the past, there had been an arrangement with Powys in regards to a recycling centre in Machynlleth.

Officers acknowledged that this “could be explored in future” with residents not currently being asked where they lived.