Yate Parish Hall is 'hotspot for bad behaviour' (From Gazette Series)

Yate Parish Hall is 'hotspot for bad behaviour'

2:30pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

YATE Parish Hall has become a hotspot for trouble and bad behaviour, according to recent reports.

Teenagers in cars and on motorbikes are meeting in the car park to the hall, on Station Road, and younger children are congregating in an unlit area at the rear of the building, town councillors said.

Councillors David and Sue Evan-Jones said they had witnessed large groups of teenagers meeting there and in a nearby park in Eggshill Lane.

Cllr David Evan-Jones said: "There has been an increasing amount of trouble in a rather dark area at the back of the hall. The young ones have been getting older teenagers to buy alcohol and then they are all accumulating in a dark corner.

"There has been a number of fights and police have been called on numerous occasions."

Cllr Mike Robbins told a meeting of Yate Town Council: "I have also received complaints from residents of Eggshill Lane about young people meeting up in their driveways.

"They have found piles of cigarette ends outside their garage doors."

The issue has been raised at Yate Safer, Stronger Community Group meetings and a proposal to install street lighting outside the hall is now under discussion.

Town mayor Cllr Ian Blair said: "There appears to be an issue around that area and it needs to be addressed in some way.

"Just moving these young people on will not solve anything. We need to have discussions with the police."

Neighbourhood policing Sergeant Adrian Fallows said police were aware of some minor disturbances but that groups of people were often in the area because of events taking place at the venue.

"On Friday and Saturday nights there are a number of people in the area but quite often they are involved with hall events," he said.

"We are aware that the park in Eggshill Lane is a place where young people gather and in the past there have been arrests in the area for minor offences.

"We are looking into the situation but if anybody has any concerns I would advise them to contact us."