Locals in a Welsh town say they are being intimidated and abused by youths who are also smashing up their shops. Business owners in Abertillery town told WalesOnline how teens aged between 12 to 17 have kicked in their doors, thrown bricks through their windows and have used foul language to intimidate them.
The business owners, who have asked to remain anonymous for their safety, said they had noticed anti-social behaviour rising in the community since January, caused by young people on bikes and sometimes wearing balaclavas. They said it had led to people of all ages being too scared to visit the town centre, with some business owners wanting to move their shops elsewhere.
It comes as Abertillery Learning Community school was put on lockdown on Monday after three teenage boys reportedly threatened staff members and set off the fire alarm. This incident is not necessarily linked to anti-social behaviour in the town, but locals said it added to their concerns.
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Walking around the town centre you can see several boarded up shops with damage to their windows and doors. Some are empty shops, but some are still in business. The former butcher's on Market St is one example, with one window cracked and the other without any glass at all. One resident said he saw several youths throw bricks at it several months ago, which caused damage.
"We came out of Abertillery Wetherspoons one evening towards the beginning of the year," he said. "As we left and were walking up the hill towards the car park there was a gang of three or four youths hanging around outside the old Glasgow pub, as they saw us one of them grabbed a brick from somewhere and threw it through the window of a shop and ran away.
"Obviously we were all shocked because it was quite busy so you wouldn't expect anything untoward to happen. Luckily we were in a big group so we all felt safe but I could imagine if you were on your own it would be quite scary." Another local resident pointed us towards the closed Comfortzone shop on High Street, where she said a number of teens smashed up its windows.
Several residents said Abertillery Convenience Store on Somerset Street had been particularly targeted by teens, which they all found very "upsetting" to see. A spokesperson for the shop told WalesOnline the store had faced trouble for the last six months. They said their door and windows had been physically kicked in by youths in the last few weeks.
On one occasion the spokesperson said a worker had to lock themselves in the shop while rocks were thrown through its windows. They said youths regularly gather outside the business to intimidate workers - sometimes wearing balaclavas - and described one incident where three bottles of wine were stolen. The spokesperson said: "It’s been very hard and very sad, especially with the cost [of running a business] going up."
One local, who owns a business on Church Street, said a youth recently punched and cracked her window while she was working. She said she gets less hassle than some other businesses, but still had been targeted a number of times. She described how the behaviour is putting people off coming into the town, which is having a knock-on effect on local trade. She said: "There's a crack in my window after a youth punched it for absolutely no reason at all while I was in at the time. I don't get much here, but I get the odd [youth] stepping in and out of my shop.
"People, especially the older people, are afraid to come to town because they're scared they're going to be abused. Customers who are coming in the shops are being abused when they go out, with the teens swearing and things like that. You get gangs of them looking intimidating, riding electric bikes which screech up through the town, you get flower pots being tipped over and they are running towards people but then running past people. They're being pains in the backside."
Across the road on Church Street another owner said she had never known anti-social behaviour to be so rife in Abertillery. She said she had seen innocent people and businesses receive appalling abuse from some individuals. She said: "This Sunday there was a disabled guy in town and [a group of youths] literally haunted him and followed him, giving him abuse. He came in my business to wait until they had gone, but they were lingering about for him. When he left, they followed.
"Then I noticed a guy who always carries a guitar walking down that way. [The youths] ended up taking his guitar off him and smashed it up. Police arrived and when they got out of the car, one girl went and gave a policeman a kiss. Where is the respect? I have never known this here. We were all kids once but when I was younger, I would have respect. We used to hang around town, but we kept ourselves to ourselves. I just really don’t understand what is going on. They’re drinking, smoking vapes and taking drugs."
She said she felt concerned that police had not done enough to stop the behaviour and that the youths are trying to push their actions as far as they can, without fear for the potential repercussions. She fears what will happen if the anti-social behaviour continues. She said: "You just never know what’s next. Through the week, me and my staff are there on our own. If they came in and started to riot, we would have no chance. Someone needs to do something, but right now it’s falling on deaf ears."
It is understood that local business owners voiced their deep concerns about anti-social behaviour in the town to Gwent Police and members of Blaenau Gwent council at a meeting on Tuesday. Gwent Police said its officers are "committed" to making Abertillery a safe place to live and work. The force is encouraging residents and workers to continue reporting incidents of anti-social behaviour.
Another business owner said the issue has had such an impact on her and her customers that she has considered leaving the town. She said in the meantime, she has spent hundreds of pounds on a new CCTV and alarm system. She said most of the issues surprisingly happen late afternoon and evening while it is still light outside.
She said: "They tried to rip banners off my shop and when I told them to leave they came back with bandanas on while filming me and trying to intimidate me. I put leaflets outside my shop and they stole all of those too, so I can't put anything out now. I've had to pay hundreds for internal CCTV and I've had an alarm fitted, it’s frightening. This happens in the early evenings and what it’s going to be like in the summer holidays, I don't know. I can’t open late now and I have clients too scared to come in."
She said Abertillery is a lovely community and that youths "not having enough to do" is not an excuse for their behaviour. She said: "People say there’s nothing for them to do, but there is and this is a choice. It's a run down area and not affluent, but it's a lovely community and there isn't any excuse for this."
Gwent Police inspector Stevie Warden, of the Blaenau Gwent neighbourhood policing team, said:“ Members of the neighbourhood policing team met with traders in Abertillery on Tuesday evening. Several topics were discussed at the meeting, and one of these points referred to anti-social behaviour in the town and reports of other types of offending.
“Other key stakeholders, including councillors, were present and I’d like to thank everyone who attended for giving up their time to put their points across to me in a constructive and respectful manner. We’re committed to doing what we can, together with our partners and members of the community, to make Abertillery a safe place to live and work.
“Anti-social behaviour, and any offences associated to it, is completely unacceptable. We understand the distress it causes our residents and traders across Abertillery, and the whole of Blaenau Gwent, and we will continue to work with our partners to find ways to resolve these problems.
“There are many different types of anti-social behaviour and some of these are offences where our officers can deal with the issue. To receive the right response, I would encourage residents to keep reporting incidents of anti-social behaviour to the service best equipped to handle these matters. You can report anti-social behaviour offences that can be investigated by Gwent Police by calling 101, via direct message on social media or you can also email us.”
Regarding Monday's incident at Abertillery Learning Community, a Gwent Police spokesman said: "We were called to Abertillery Learning Community after three teenagers entered without permission at around 8.45am on Monday, July 3.
"They reportedly made threats to members of staff and set off the school’s fire alarm. Two 15-year-old boys and a 14-year-old boy were later arrested on suspicion of affray and criminal damage; all were later released on bail as enquiries continue. No injuries were reported."
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