PEOPLE on a Witney estate are calling for action to stop a gang making their lives a misery — with some too worried to call the police.

Residents on Thorney Leys, near to Burwell Hall, between the Burwell and Thorney Leys estates, said it had been a problem for the past six months.

Police stepped in at the start of October last year, and handed out nine antisocial behaviour contracts to some of the main offenders across the Burwell estate.

Six of the ABCs were lifted in January, with three remaining on the most persistent offenders.

However, the youngsters continue to cause trouble, according to neighbours.

Georgina Dominy said her life had been made a “misery”, and she sits in darkness in her home in the evenings, too scared to turn on the lights.

Mrs Dominy, 65, said: “If the lights are off, it looks like I’m not home, and they don’t tend to bother me. I’ve had all sorts of abuse, calling me names, banging on my doors, throwing stones at my window. One lad even dropped his trousers and flashed at me.”

Mrs Dominy said in the past week she had called police on two occasions because of the behaviour of the gang.

“I feel as though I’m being driven out of my house by these kids. I don’t want to move, but it’s getting hard to stay.”

Police were also called out last Thursday when a group of teenagers disrupted an art class for elderly residents in Burwell Hall.

Though by the time officers were called out, the yobs had left the building.

Mrs Dominy added: “The problem is that some people are too scared to even call the police. They think it will make it worse.”

Lindy Gough, who lives next door to Mrs Dominy, is also a target for the gang — which can vary in size between eight and 12 youths, aged from about 13 to 17.

Mrs Gough said: “Where my kitchen window looks out on to the street, whenever I’m washing up they think that I’m looking out at them, and come up to the window and shout abuse at me.

“There is an alley that runs alongside mine and Georgina’s house that they are always running up and down.

“I’ve had stuff taken from my back garden, and the other night I had people banging on my door and running away every ten minutes for three hours.”

Another resident, Jim McHale, 73, called for stronger action to be taken against the parents of the youths.

He said: “Some of these kids are only 13, and they are hanging around the streets until late at night and the early hours of the morning.

“Maybe if we started prosecuting the parents, it would stop these kids from acting up. They just don’t care about what they are doing.

“I’m an old man, and all this is starting to get me into bad health.”

Nearby businesses opposite Burwell Hall have also been targeted by the gang, as they loiter around outside the parade of shops.

Abdul Chaudhury, manager of the Benjal Spice restaurant, said: “It’s not nice having a gang of kids hanging around outside all the time. It can put people off coming down here.”

PC Duncan Johnson, neighbourhood officer for the area, said a lot had been done to tackle antisocial behaviour on the Burwell estate in the past six months.

From October to December, there were 34 reports of anti-social behaviour and 16 of criminal damage on the Burwell estate.

PC Johnson said this had dropped to 12 and six respectively in the period January to March.

He said: “This particular area is one that is near the park and the parade of shops, and so it does attract groups of youths as a meeting area.

“We will be stepping up patrols in this area and maintaining a high-visibility presence, which we hope will deter any further anti-social behaviour.”

PC Johnson added that any resident who felt as though they were the target of anti-social behaviour, or were being threatened in any way, should contact the police immediately.