Action to tackle the seaside yobs
Reporters BUSINESSES and residents are coming together in a coastal village to say “enough is enough” after Cullercoats beach was besieged by yobs during last week’s heatwave.
Scores of people visited the North Tyneside beach to enjoy the sunshine but locals were left horrified by anti-social behaviour, littering and under-age drinking.
There have been reports of abuse, intimidation, damage and theft along the seafront. One business owner claims he was spat at and staff at other shops were verbally abused.
And piles of rubbish, including glass bottles, aluminium cans, barbecues, clothing and plastic containers, were left behind. Volunteers from the community helped to clean up the litter afterwards.
Now, a rally has been organised calling for more police and council action to prevent similar scenes in the future. The event is to take place outside the RNLI base on Cullercoats Beach at 10am on Saturday.
Simon Laing, owner of Cullercoats Bike & Kayak, who organised the rally, said: “We have had problems with low-level drinking and antisocial behaviour before, just like any other community.
“But this was on another level. It went beyond low-level disturbance – it was criminal activity.
“On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, there was a huge congregation of people who were being quite intimidating. They were drinking, smashing glass off the piers and being abusive. There were people in their teens up to their early 20s.
“The final straw for me was being spat at. It happened when a group of kids grabbed one of our boards and started using it in the water. We went and asked for our board back and we got sworn at.
“I got into my van and someone spat into the van through my open window.”
Mr Laing said more police patrols were needed as well as officer intervention to stop anti-social behaviour taking place.
He also said the council needs to do more to clear up rubbish and enforce litter penalties.
He added: “If something is not done, this will only get worse. We demand more from the authorities. We can’t have a repeat of this.”
A number of venues in Cullercoats have put up posters highlighting the campaign. Among those going to the rally is Bill Routledge, owner of Bill’s Fish and Chip restaurant.
The 85-year-old said: “There were lots of kids here who were very boisterous and swearing. They were abusive to our staff and also stole pop from our fridge.
“There needs to be a stronger police presence here to deter this kind of behaviour.”
The council says that, in anticipation of higher visitors due to the good weather forecast, it brought in extra cleansing teams from Friday until Sunday, who worked until the evening.
Phil Scott, head of environment, housing and leisure, said: “It’s fantastic that so many people enjoyed our award-winning coastline during the unusually hot weather experienced last week. However, like residents, we were hugely disappointed to learn that a minority of people disrupted the enjoyment of others.
“Millions of pounds are being invested into the regeneration of our coastline to make sure it remains a top visitor attraction for all to enjoy.
“We will always support the police in tackling anti-social behaviour and please be assured that reports of environmental issues, such as littering and dog fouling, are always taken seriously.”
Northumbria Police says it has increased patrols in the area. Insp Michelle Caisley added: “We are working to identify those involved and will take appropriate action against them.”
People should report anti-social behaviour to Northumbria Police on 101.