Children as young as 11 are causing mayhem for an Angus couple through repeated acts of anti-social behaviour.
Kirriemuir residents Sue and George Thomson are calling for tighter policing from officers after being subjected to seven years of on-off vandalism, disruption and bad behaviour from youngsters in the area.
On an almost weekly basis children congregate near the Thomsons’ home at Pierhead and climb on their garage roof, spray paint on nearby walls and cause damage to surrounding derelict properties.
Sue, 54, and George, 62, work during the day but have their personal time regularly disrupted by the sound of stomping feet traipsing across their property or the noise of nearby abandoned lock-ups being ransacked by the youngsters.
Their concerns have been relayed to the police but avenues for resolving the problems appear to be limited.
Kirriemuir and Dean councillor Ronnie Proctor has backed the couple’s call for more action from the police and has urged parents to be more aware of their children’s actions.
Mrs Thomson said: “We have been here for about seven years and there have always been problems.
“We’ve had problems with kids painting things like ‘panda will rise’ on the walls and they broke into the roof of our garage recently.
“It’s just a nightmare generally. It happens at night mostly. You could be sitting quietly and the next thing you hear this banging on the roof.
“It has actually been worse since the CCTV was put in to the square because they now come and run round the back of our house, but there’s no reason to be there because there’s nothing for them.
“It’s just a general problem. Some of them are still running about in their school uniform while they’re at it and they’re as young as primary six or seven.”
Mr Proctor said he sympathised with the couple’s concerns and said some parents may need to pay more attention to where their children are when out of school.
“My mother would have flayed me if I’d acted like this as a youngster but there is also a real concern for the kids’ safety,” he said.
“The police have limited resources in Kirrie but I do feel that they should be taking quite a strong line on this matter. People should be able to enjoy their life without a fear of having damage done to their property.”
Inspector Ally Robertson said: “I fully appreciate the concerns of these residents and recognise this is not the type of behaviour that they should have to tolerate.
“This is something that we will be addressing with children in the area, as well as their parents, given the obvious risks that the young people are exposing themselves to by going into derelict properties.
“Our community inspector will ensure that community officers give the area the attention it requires and that property owners are contacted to ensure they are fulfilling their obligations and responsibilities to keep their property safe and secure.
“Once again I would call upon parents to take an interest of what their children are doing. Where are they, who are they with, what are they involved in.
“Be concerned that they may be putting themselves in harm’s way and talk to them about the dangers they could be exposing themselves to.”