Firms fed up by lack of action

BUSINESSES ON the Lowfields Industrial Estate in Elland say they are sick and tired of antisocial behaviour outside their premises.

Alisdair Couper, managing director of Terberg, says Lowfields has become “a playground for the young, the obsolete and everything else in between”.

“Where do you start? Speeding, vehicle hijacking, theft, breaking and entering, racing, the list goes on,” he said. “We’ve offered funding to the police and the local council, but nothing’s been done about it. The weekend before last, we had a big gang of 50 or 60 youths in cars which resulted in a collision about midnight on the Saturday, and the police and ambulances being tied up dealing with it all.”

Mr Couper says the behaviour has been going on for around 10 years but is getting worse.

Calderdale NPT Inspector Ben Doughty said: “West Yorkshire Police are aware of the proposed issues of anti-social behaviour in the area and along with local community partnerships continue to implement strategies and address concerns of local residents. It is of note that the reported anti-social behaviour figures do not present higher than other areas of the district. Reports that are received are promptly investigated and in the case of Lowfield Business Park, we are proactively working alongside Calderdale

Council to improve matters. We have met with representatives of the business community and are working on a plan to work together to tackle issues.”

Calderdale Council’s Assistant Director for Neighbourhoods, Andrew Pitts, said: “When issues are reported we step up our community patrols and work with colleagues across the Calderdale Community Safety Partnership to tackle problems, with appropriate enforcement.”

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