Two little girls play with their Barbie dolls on a pavement in Leigh. A man wearing a dressing gown looks out from his doorway, clutching his mug of tea as he observes people walking by.
This quiet street was once dubbed ‘unliveable’ by those living there. At one time, Glebe Street was so overrun by anti-social behaviour that locals described how neighbours were leaving the area.
Residents complained of prostitution, drug dealing and threatening behaviour which peaked in late 2019. The situation became so dire, authorities were forced to install cameras and increase patrols in a bid to tackle the issues.
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Some residents said it was too little too late at the time. One reported being threatened with a knife for reporting flytipping while another described being mugged while with her four-year-old son.
Three years on, and the council says efforts to make the area safer have been a 'big success'. But do locals think life on Glebe Street has changed?
"Things are starting to be okay, it was bad two years ago,” resident Andrei Preda, 23, said. “Before I went on holiday, someone broke into my car and a week before they broke into my friend's car. It was the same person.
"I see on Facebook people reporting thieves breaking into their houses and cars. I want to move. It makes me feel disgusted. Two months ago, I found my wingmirror kicked off and my car was scratched."
"There are still problems on the street with noise and people banging on doors,” another resident, who did not wish to be named, said.
"People try door handles and someone broke into my neighbour's car. People gather in the street; it's happening almost every day. It makes me feel scared and unsafe, especially with my daughter. We have to check the window before we open the door. If it's not a delivery man, I won't open the door."
Jane Hurst also thinks anti-social behaviour is still a problem on the street. "I've had a few people banging on my windows really hard, it's scary, especially at night,” the 65-year-old added. There was one last week. It's kids, especially teenagers. It's frightening."
Another resident, who has lived on Glebe Street for two years, believes life on the street will never change – claiming emergency services are regularly present in the area. "It's always been the same, it won't change. I'm just here until I get somewhere better,” he said.
"I've never had any trouble but the police and paramedics always come up. I've been here for two years and I know stuff goes on, you hear about it.
"I do find that there's a lot of glass smashed and things and it's not very clean. There's always rubbish everywhere."
Back in 2019, the M.E.N reported how crime and intimidation had escalated to the point where many residents were too scared to walk the streets. Residents believed the rampant anti-social behaviour not only created an atmosphere of fear and caused people to flee, but was also affecting property values.
In August 2019, a meeting between council representatives, police and community groups was held to help tackle Glebe Street's problems. A 'rapid deployment camera' was installed, extra patrols mounted, and a promise was made to explore civil enforcement measures.
Now, while some problems still persist on the street, there is confidence the area is nowhere near as bad as it used to be. "I've always found it alright, I've lived here on and off for 12 years,” a 28-year-old resident added. “It's just quiet and the people are friendly."
Another resident, aged 74, said: “We still get litter everywhere; we even have a litter picker. There used to be people selling drugs. Sometimes you get loud music but it's not at an anti-social hour. I just keep myself to myself, it's not as bad as it used to be – it used to be really bad.”
Approached by the M.E.N, Councillor Kevin Anderson, cabinet member for police, crime and civil contingencies, said: “Our work in Leigh West was a big success and created a safer and more secure environment for residents.
“Through the combined efforts of the Place and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) and local councillors, this funding has brought about real change, including more CCTV cameras, better street lighting, home security kits and a crackdown on fly-tipping.
“While the Safer Streets programme came to an end in July last year, it does not mean we are no longer focussing on making long term improvements to this of area of Leigh.
“Major initiatives that were kick-started during this time are continuing and we are committed to maintaining this momentum.”
