Terrified families are living in fear of young thugs led by a boy, 11

Terrified families are living in fear of young thugs led by a boy, 11: Business owner was threatened with imitation firearm, a disabled woman is too afraid to leave her home and a police officer has been attacked

• The youths are said to be ‘out of control’ and that they smash up property 
• A disabled woman is too afraid to leave her home after being taunted by them
• Conservative MP Scott Benton revealed the issues in Parliament this week 
• Mr Benton asked Penny Mordaunt for a debate around anti-social behaviour 

Terrified families have told how they are living in fear of a gang of young thugs ‘running riot’ – whose ringleaders include a boy of 11.

The youths are said to be ‘out of control’, with locals saying they are responsible for smashing up property, vandalising vehicles and assaults.

A business owner has been threatened with an imitation firearm, a disabled woman is too afraid to leave her home after being taunted and a police officer has been attacked.

The havoc in terraced streets close to the centre of Blackpool was revealed in Parliament this week by one of the seaside town’s Conservative MPs, Scott Benton. He said the gang had committed ‘hundreds of offences’ over the past two years in the Talbot and Brunswick area.

The havoc in terraced streets close to the centre of Blackpool was revealed in Parliament this week by one of the seaside town’s Conservative MPs, Scott Benton

One middle-aged woman, who did not want to be named, said: ‘They are a nightmare. There are fires all the time and all you hear is the sound of breaking glass. It used to be a nice place to live but not any more.’

Another woman blamed one family for most of the carnage, saying: ‘She’s the mother of the 11-year-old but she has god only knows how many other children living with her – maybe 13 or 14 – but not all of them are hers. I believe the council are trying to evict her but she is refusing to go. The kids are running riot as if they own the neighbourhood.’

On Thursday, Mr Benton raised the issue with Penny Mordaunt, leader of the House of Commons. He said: ‘The ringleader is an 11-year-old boy who has been responsible for over 80 different offences, including assaulting a female police officer.

‘Sadly, the efforts of Lancashire Police to bring him to justice have been compromised by Blackpool Council’s children’s directorate, who refuse to criminalise teenagers.

‘Can we have a debate in this House regarding anti-social behaviour and whether police have the appropriate powers to tackle these problems?’

He described the 11-year-old as ‘completely out of control’, adding: ‘Every time he commits a crime, he is taken to the police station but he gets released because of his age and ends up laughing at the officers.’

A Blackpool Council spokesman said: ‘It is completely untrue to suggest that there has been any interference from Children’s Social Care in the work of police to address criminal acts or youth anti-social behaviour. The Youth Justice Partnership in Blackpool rightly takes a “child first” approach to anti-social behaviour among children, but this does not mean that offending is taken lightly.’

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the issues. We have been working proactively with increased neighbourhood officers, plain-clothed officers and mounted officers to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.’

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