Black out move as yobs target house
A PENSIONER has hit out at anti-social behaviour after saying he has been forced to black out his windows amid fears his house will be targeted.
Peter Duerden, who lives on Burnley Road East in Whitewell Bottom, claims he has endured three years of torment with youths throwing objects at his house and windows, and breaking open his back door.
The 65-year-old retired engineer says has now bought black-out curtains to hide the light from his front room to try and make himself less of a target for anti-social behaviour.
In the most recent incident earlier this month, a ‘flour bomb’ covered in tin foil was thrown at his front window - giving Mr Duerden a ‘fright’ as he sat watching television.
He told the Free Press: “When you’re sat at home at night and there is a terrific bang at your window, it frightens the life out of you.
“The front part of my windows, they get conkers thrown at them, flour bombs thrown at them.
“It is getting really bad. If they see a light they come and throw stuff. It does just seem to be my house.”
He added: “Once I came out to tell them to stop, and later I had my doors kicked open. It’s a bit terrifying, I mostly stay in now.
“It’s just childish behaviour, I know they are just trying to get a reaction but it’s frightening because there is the fear of what if the glass breaks?”
The grandfather-of-four claims that four of his double-glazed windows have been damaged by the impact of having objects thrown at them - and to replace them will cost around £200 per window.
Mr Duerden said: “I have lived here pushing 40 years. It’s not a pleasant place to live anymore.
“I don’t know what I can do, apart from putting security boards on the house? I can’t afford to install the kind of high-quality CCTV the police suggest.
“I would think about moving but who can afford to. I have been here for 30 years, I have renovated it, put new windows in. I have got on well with the neighbours and the community. But I don’t feel safe here anymore.”
A spokesman for Lancashire Police said they had received a report of anti-social behaviour of youths throwing objects at a house on Burnley Road East on Wednesday, December 7 at around 9.15pm and an officer had been to speak to the complainant.