Plea to step up police patrols in Bilton

Val Rodgers warned some residents have been so worn down by spates of mindless damage that they have just become resigned to it - citing cases of repeated vandalism of goalposts at Roberts Crescent Park, damage to church buildings, and stones being thrown at houses.

She said: “Residents are despondent, and although I encourage them to report all incidents on 101, they think it’s a complete waste of time. They don’t think anything will be done about it when they report it.

“Bilton is a great, caring community, and it’s just such a shame that we have this small group of people causing this trouble. We need police patrols to be increased, and parents need to know what their children are doing.

“It’s important that residents report any incident of vandalism or anti-social behaviour. The more people report it, the better, and the more chance there is that something will change.”

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “North Yorkshire Police encourage people to report any incidents of anti-social behaviour. Any information we receive about anti-social behaviour issues helps us to identify any patterns in offender behaviour and determine where we need to target our resources.

“We recognise that anti-social behaviour can blight communities. We want to reassure communities we are working with partner agencies to tackle the issues.”