Victorian suburb 'blighted by drugs and begging'

Butcher Nicholas Davie says he locks the shop door when he goes to the toilet

One of Hull's most attractive suburbs is not what it used to be due to anti-social behaviour, residents and a business owner have said.

Police and the city council have stepped up action to counter problems in the Victorian district of the Avenues, with more patrols and intervention work.

Butcher Nicholas Davie, of Princes Avenue, said he had called the police eight times in two months due to people sitting outside his shop while drinking and taking drugs.

"Why would you choose to come and shop in an area where there are roving bands of people off their face on intoxicating substances and generally being abusive to people?" he asked.

"I get people coming in and asking me for money over the counter.

"Your heart goes out, you want to help people, but you can't just give money away."

Sakhili Ncube says the area has "totally changed"

The Avenues is an area lined with mature lime trees and large Victorian villas. It includes Pearson Park, which dates back to the 1860s, and a thriving bar and restaurant scene.

Resident Sakhili Ncube said problems with anti-social behaviour had stopped her from wanting to go to the park.

"It has totally changed and substance abusers are always around that area," she said.

"I think they need to have tough restrictions on people going and doing stuff there."

Mike Blyth, who has lived in the area all his life, described seeing a "lot more begging" and drug use in recent years.

"It's not what it used to be, put it that way," he said. "Ten, 15 years ago you wouldn't see half of what you see now."

Humberside Police and the council have stepped up enforcement work under an initiative called Operation Vortex.

Councillor Ted Dolman said the local authority was also helping people struggling with addiction.

"We're actively enforcing the public space protection order, which is to stop people drinking in public spaces, people sleeping on benches, begging and general anti-social behaviour," he said.

"Our teams are going out and working with those people that are struggling in our communities and as part of that people feel safer."

Matthew Butler, of ReNew, works with people who have substance misuse problems

Ch Insp Tom Stevens said there was a detailed plan to bring the problems under control, which included putting more bobbies on the beat.

"Every individual we identify as repeatedly causing harm has a plan around them, with allocated officers to continue to work with them until we see success," he added.

"So success isn't going to be 'clear them off today', because they'll just come back tomorrow."

Long-term success would involve using enforcement and interventions to "get them on the right path".

"It's essential that communities understand what's going on," he added. "We can showcase the success that's also achieved so far with the arrests, with the intervention and also the intelligence picture, but also get their feedback."

Some residents said they had noticed an improvement.

Mary Baldwin, who lives opposite the park, said she walked across it every day and had "never had any trouble".

Matthew Butler, volunteer lead at ReNew, a drug and alcohol service, said the people he worked with were often "good people who have just had a very poor life".

"We've got to be optimistic. We've got to keep pushing with people," he added.

"We've got to keep trying to get them to engage in these services."

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