CANVEY residents’ lives are being blighted by yobs who start fires in their gardens and threaten them with knives and baseball bats in their own homes.

Gangs of as many as 40 youngsters, aged between 12 and 17, have been causing problems in Second Avenue most evenings for the past six months.

Frightened residents have called for a police crackdown at a Canvey West neighbourhood meeting.

They claimed youths had broken down the front doors of at least two houses in the street, then threatened elderly residents with knives, baseball bats and other weapons.

The youths also regularly smash the windows of homes, set fire to grass in front gardens, rip up garden fences and vandalise cars.

Anne Carpenter, 40, of Second Avenue, claimed someone had even been stabbed in the early hours of one morning, though police say they have no record of the incident.

She said: “It was about two weeks ago. I remember hearing a lot of commotion in the road, there was screaming and someone shouted they had been stabbed.

“An ambulance and police were called. We haven’t heard anything else about it since, but it was frightening.

“These kids don’t seem interested in doing anything other than hanging around and making residents’ lives an absolute misery.

“It’s getting worse and worse. You know they drink and take drugs, because you see the remains left all over the place in the morning. They leave wee in some of the beer bottles.

“They set fire to our gardens and dance on top of our cars.

“Most residents are too frightened to say anything to the yobs, because they think nothing of breaking down your front door and threatening you. It’s absolutely diabolical.”

Councillors assured residents at the meeting they were working with police on a joint plan to tackle the yobs.

Peter May, a Castle Point councillor for central ward, said: “I have met some families down there, where the husband has been trembling and the wife was reduced to tears.

“It’s unacceptable what they have to put up with and we’re dealing with it.”

Chief Insp Keith Davies, of Castle Point police, promised: “This is my number one priority for antisocial behaviour.

“We are going to be looking at increasing our patrols in the coming weeks.”