Anti-social behaviour is said to be getting "out of control" in Calverton following an incident which saw a park being forced to close due to vandalism. Incidents in the village over recent weeks have included a restaurant owner being left heartbroken after the front of his business was smashed.
Paint was also splattered across the front of somebody's property last month and a popular play park was recently forced to close after some of its decking was smashed. Following the incident at William Lee Park on May 29, there was even a suggestion that security guards could be employed there in future to deter vandals.
Some of those living and working in Calverton now say that more action needs to be taken on anti-social behaviour as the population in the village grows. Major developments there include an 84-home project off Flatts Lane, and some say that the expanding nature of the village means more resources are needed.
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Andy Meads, the Chairman of Calverton Parish Council, has lived in the village all his life and said: "Anti-social behaviour is getting out of control in this village.
"I was in Sainsbury's the other night and there were a group of four young lads who had already been thrown out, but they came back in even though the police where there. I know you always hear now that young people don't have as much respect for the police, but it was something to actually see it.
"In the end they ended up brawling to get out of the shop." The impact that such incidents are having on local business owners was explained by the husband and wife who run the Calverton Mini Market on Flatts Lane.
Nalini Kan, 65, who runs the shop with her husband Param, also 65, said: "We do get a lot of problems with big groups of young people, we've told them that they have to come into the shop in groups of no more than two and we have had to ban some of them. You can see some of them smoking outside and when they come in, you actually feel quite intoxicated yourself because of the smell."
Param Kan added: "About 40% of our customers are elderly so things like this will put them off coming here. If you were to come around here at 3pm you would know what we mean."
Some residents in Calverton had mixed views on whether anti-social behaviour was becoming a major issue in the town. One agreed that the situation was becoming "out of control", saying that there was "nothing" for young people to do in the village.
But one man who had lived in Calverton for 45 years said: "I don't think I've heard of any major incidents recently. You do see a lot of groups of young lads but most of them are only doing what we would have done as kids as well.
"I think one issue is that social media means they can end up gathering in much bigger groups than before." In regards to the broader problem of anti-social behaviour in Calverton, Nottinghamshire Police previously issued a statement pointing to the fact that a new beat manager has recently been appointed in the village.
Neighbourhood policing sergeant for Gedling north, Stu Howe, said: "Our recently appointed new beat manager for Calverton has made a positive impact and done a lot of work over the last three months to tackle and prevent antisocial behaviour in the area.
"She attends all the neighbourhood meetings and is doing everything she can to drive down these sorts of incidents which cause distress for the local community. She has been a breath of fresh air and, since her appointment, the situation is certainly a lot better than it was.
"Our ongoing work to tackle antisocial behaviour has also led to significant arrests, with a number of suspects also being charged." Sergeant Howe also said that an eviction order is in progress related to issues at St Wilfred's Square, where the pizza restaurant was damaged.
He added: "We're also carrying out extra patrols this week, during the half-term period, to further reduce antisocial behaviour, deter any criminality and to deal robustly with anyone causing concerns." It was confirmed on Saturday (June 3) that the William Lee Park has since reopened, with new decking having been installed.
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