Chris Cooper, left. and Jeremy Adby

Yobs urinating, being sick and smashing windows were just some of the problems discussed at a meeting of Churchyard residents in Ashford.

People living around St Mary’s parish church were invited to a public meeting by Ashford council to discuss how best to deal with the problems that have blighted their lives.

Police revealed that over the course of 2010, 23 calls were made by residents living in and around Churchyard complaining of anti-social behaviour by drunken yobs.

In the town centre as a whole 149 calls have been made so far this year.
Resident Jeremy Adby, who has lived in Churchyard for 15 years, said: “There’s all sorts going on and now there’s even drug dealing.

“We’ve had broken windows, smashed up bottles on the streets and things are definitely getting worse around here.”

He added: “It isn’t just at the weekend, this can happen on a Monday or a Tuesday and there’s problems right through until 4am in the morning.”

This month alone seven calls have been made to police about people banging on doors and windows, urinating in the Churchyard Passage and being sick on the streets.

At the meeting, organised by Cllr Michael Claughton, Ashford council’s community safety boss, a mother spoke of how she had to dodge smashed bottles with her five-year-old child.

Residents argued that the main problem with the Churchyard is that it is used by revellers as a shortcut to get from the high street to the nightclub and then later to return to the high street to get cash or catch taxis.

Ashford council chief executive John Bunnett said that the best option to begin with was to install more lighting to brighten the area and deter troublemakers.
Resident and St Mary’s bellringer Chris Cooper suggested gating off the passage with a code for residents to stop the area being used as a shortcut.
He said: “The CCTV has very little coverage and I believe gating off the passage will cut the problem out altogether.

“If people know they can’t get through they’ll find another way to go.”
The option of using the old floodlights around the church to brighten the surrounding areas was also suggested and St Mary’s priest Colin Preece said it could be done.

Hopes of moving CCTV cameras were scuppered when it was revealed it could cost up to £7,000, although if lighting does not prove to be a successful deterrent, moving the CCTV to cover a wider area will be looked at.

If the problems continue, gating may also be an option for Kent County Council.