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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Robert Sutcliffe & Graeme Murray

Mum-of-six living in 'deprived' area terrified to walk dogs over fears they'll be stolen

A mum-of-six living in an area labelled the most deprived is afraid to walk her dogs as she fears they will be stolen.

Theresa Boyle's community has been highlighted in census data by the Office for National Statistics, (ONS) which showed parts of the country classified as "deprived".

She has lived in Fartown, Kirklees for 25 years and the area and another street in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire were singled out on a map as being in the specific category.

YorkshireLive reports she is even scared to take her dogs out for a walk.

Four different 'dimensions' are used to demonstrate the findings and each has different categories of deprivation. They include education, employment, housing and health.

Andrew Garner does not feel he is living in a deprived area (YORKSHIRE LIVE/MEN MEDIA)

The ONS says a household is classified as deprived for education if no one living there has at least Level 2 education (GCSE level) and no one aged 16 to 18 years is a full-time student.

Theresa, a cleaner with three A levels to her name, said: "I live on Roydfield Street and you do have to be careful living here and keep your wits about you.

"I don't feel safe going out at night and I certainly wouldn't walk up the road with my bag. I only take the amount of money that I need in my purse.

"I can't walk my two dogs without someone trying to take them off you! I don't go on the cycle path to walk them as the last time I did a young man said 'I can take that off you if I want to.'

Gordon Seaman has lived off Leeds Road, Huddersfield, with his wife Dorothy for 33 years (YORKSHIRE LIVE/MEN MEDIA)

"It's the gang warfare around here that's scary with the rival gangs from Birkby, Deighton and Fartown causing trouble.

"It's the youth of today that are the problem. There's a lot of people on benefits who live around here too.

"But I'm comfortable living in Fartown. I worked at the laundrette for 15 years so I know a lot of people, it's only a short walk into the town centre and we have everything we could wish for on Bradford Road and nearby in terms of shops and pubs etc.

"There is a sense of community but people tend to keep themselves to themselves and I don't know my neighbours."

Andrew Garner, a 67-year-old retired HGV driver, however, said: "I don't feel like I'm living in a deprived area.

"I have lived her for 30 years and it's a surprise to me that we have been categorised in that way.

"Things have changed a lot in one way over the years - people don't often stay here long, people move in and out."

And his neighbour Gordon Seaman, 78, who has lived there for 33 years added: "I don't know what they mean, it's not deprived around here."

His wife Dot, 65, said: "It's a shock to hear this area being described like that, I don't know where that has come from."

Judith Clark was surprised by 'deprived' label and likes living in the area (YORKSHIRE LIVE/MEN MEDIA)

Judith Clark, a 41-year-old full-time mum said: "I have lived here for eight years with my partner Craig and it's a surprise in some ways that it's been called that.

"I like living here and apart from young lads doing wheelies on the road there aren't any problems to speak of.

"We did have someone from Kirklees Council round a couple of months ago asking about antisocial issues but we weren't able to say much."

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