Woman’s terror as yobs paint flat windows black – and then smash them (From Echo)
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Woman’s terror as yobs paint flat windows black – and then smash them
2:00pm Friday 2nd March 2012 in Local News By Gina Marden
Mystery - the damaged window
A WOMAN has told how she is living in fear after yobs painted her windows black and then returned to smash them in.
The 50-year-old who lives in Culverdown, Basildon, said she is now dreading the weekend in case the sinister vandals strike again.
The woman, who does not want to be named, was in her ground-floor flat when she walked into the living room and realised it was plunged into darkness.
Initially she thought there had been a power cut, but then realised three of her living room windows had been coated in thick black paint. One of the windows had also been smashed.
Terrified, the woman called police who arrived at the scene within minutes.
But, after the officers left, the yobs returned and smashed another window, causing £700 damage in total.
The woman is now petrified the yobs will return.
She said: “I’m really scared. It is such a sinister thing to do and now I am dreading the weekend.
“I feel like I have been targeted, but I don’t know why.
“Maybe it’s because I live opposite a field and it’s easy for these people to get away. But I just don’t know who would do such a thing.”
The woman, who has lived in the Basildon Council owned property for the past ten years, now wants to be moved from the flat.
She said: “There have always been problems with antisocial behaviour here, but never anything like this.
“It’s just so nasty that I’m frightened to stay here.”
Police are probing the damage and have increased patrols in the area.
Sgt Paul Costin, of the Basildon West neighbourhood policing team, said: “We are aware of issues involving antisocial behaviour in Culverdown and have been conducting reassurance patrols in the area.”
Witnesses to the incident, which happened between 10.30pm and 10.45pm on Saturday, should call the Basildon area police investigation team on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Comments(32)
johnny foreigner
says...
4:02pm Fri 2 Mar 12
LibbyJ
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4:13pm Fri 2 Mar 12
Doesn't seem to be working for this poor lady. Can't anyone do anything about this?
naughtyladyofshadylane
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6:29pm Fri 2 Mar 12
sk1974
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7:17pm Fri 2 Mar 12
Last Poster
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11:12pm Fri 2 Mar 12
sk1974 wrote:I think you must have spent a little time somewhere else. The "Monkey Bars" have been a favourite haunt for kids for years. Although mostly they are just a little boisterous, sometimes they can get a little worrisome. You would have thought though, with the huge refurbishment of the playground facilities (£37,000 for the heap of scaffold and some cushionfloor, courtesy of the new owners of our parks) they would be too happy playing on those rather than terrorising the neighbourhood. Oh well, blooming kids eh?
live in Culverdown and have done for many years, never had any trouble that im aware of and as for the police being aware of antisocial issues, maybe they could let us residents know about it as many of us bemused by it and if our lives are blighted by yobs i think we should be informed!!! Didnt here a thing last saturday night and as for the living room being plunged into darkness, wouldnt it be dark at that time of night anyway? The alledged incident happened at 1030/45pm!!
Still, no doubt as part of refurbishment Barratt's will get to build loads of flats on the adjacent green areas. Then the poor lady will not get any light through because of the low-rise buildings! Who can blame the kids for finding their own "entertainment" in this now total dump of a town? Thanks Basildon? Council!
sk1974
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2:22pm Sat 3 Mar 12
y of us Culverdown residents are over 60 and have lived here for 40+ years so think we would recall antisocial behaviour amongst us all!!
basil22
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7:28pm Sat 3 Mar 12
RedRooster
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10:04pm Sat 3 Mar 12
The_masked_avenger
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10:08pm Sat 3 Mar 12
basil22
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10:14pm Sat 3 Mar 12
All 9 of me
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11:27pm Sat 3 Mar 12
sk1974 wrote:the key phrase here is over 60. factor in memory.
No haven't spent time elsewhere, maybe you have though, as I don;t recall ever seeing "monkey bars" in the park located in FAIRSTEAD( NOT Culverdown!!)Majorit
y of us Culverdown residents are over 60 and have lived here for 40+ years so think we would recall antisocial behaviour amongst us all!!
basil22
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11:33pm Sat 3 Mar 12
RedRooster
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11:50pm Sat 3 Mar 12
All 9 of me wrote:Well, I am over 60. Methinks All 9 of me is being ageist. Less generalisation please.
sk1974 wrote:the key phrase here is over 60. factor in memory.
No haven't spent time elsewhere, maybe you have though, as I don;t recall ever seeing "monkey bars" in the park located in FAIRSTEAD( NOT Culverdown!!)Majorit
y of us Culverdown residents are over 60 and have lived here for 40+ years so think we would recall antisocial behaviour amongst us all!!
Last Poster
says...
1:56am Sun 4 Mar 12
sk1974 wrote:Didn't mean to offend you ski1974, but the distinction you draw is far too fine for me. Walk westwards along Culverdown , past the ladies' flat and you will be in the recreation area which I have always known as "The monkey bars" My sons both used to meet their friends there and the eldest is now 45+ so that really is the local name and yes, there were monkey bars and a helicopter, a wild west wagon, a few swings and some ascending stepping-stones. I am 67 and have lived here since 1966 so perhaps I am old enough to get things wrong. I even remember which house caught alight when we had the green goddesses about.
No haven't spent time elsewhere, maybe you have though, as I don;t recall ever seeing "monkey bars" in the park located in FAIRSTEAD( NOT Culverdown!!)Majorit
y of us Culverdown residents are over 60 and have lived here for 40+ years so think we would recall antisocial behaviour amongst us all!!
One thing though, there are comments about me "Blaming the kids" and, if you look at my post I suggested that they are mainly boisterous but "Sometimes a little worrisome" and that is the fact of the matter. The report states "Yobs" but some of these posts here descend into insinuation about the lady. I do not know the facts, but I spoke about the monkey bars and the kids, including my own that have haunted this park over the years and that is factual. If you are not aware then perhaps you should try checking your windows. They could be painted black or worse!
As to some of the comments about the lady, I would tend to worry a lot more about the people who make those insinuations if I were you.
I refer to basil22 and, to a lesser degree, red rooster. At least my comments were based on reported facts. I worry a little about neighbourhood trouble makers and their idle gossip more than kids being rowdy!
naughtyladyofshadylane
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12:08pm Sun 4 Mar 12
basguy68
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12:52pm Sun 4 Mar 12
sk1974
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9:03pm Sun 4 Mar 12
Last Poster wrote:no offence taken, just dont like the way the paper has referred to the street though as having anti social issues when we haven't had any, yes the park and fields do attract kids/teens but its not actually in our street so think they should rectify this, but they wont. The only "facts" are what the lady said, there is no proof, any good newspaper reporter says "alledgedly" until it is proved otherwise...
sk1974 wrote: No haven't spent time elsewhere, maybe you have though, as I don;t recall ever seeing "monkey bars" in the park located in FAIRSTEAD( NOT Culverdown!!)Majorit y of us Culverdown residents are over 60 and have lived here for 40+ years so think we would recall antisocial behaviour amongst us all!!Didn't mean to offend you ski1974, but the distinction you draw is far too fine for me. Walk westwards along Culverdown , past the ladies' flat and you will be in the recreation area which I have always known as "The monkey bars" My sons both used to meet their friends there and the eldest is now 45+ so that really is the local name and yes, there were monkey bars and a helicopter, a wild west wagon, a few swings and some ascending stepping-stones. I am 67 and have lived here since 1966 so perhaps I am old enough to get things wrong. I even remember which house caught alight when we had the green goddesses about. One thing though, there are comments about me "Blaming the kids" and, if you look at my post I suggested that they are mainly boisterous but "Sometimes a little worrisome" and that is the fact of the matter. The report states "Yobs" but some of these posts here descend into insinuation about the lady. I do not know the facts, but I spoke about the monkey bars and the kids, including my own that have haunted this park over the years and that is factual. If you are not aware then perhaps you should try checking your windows. They could be painted black or worse! As to some of the comments about the lady, I would tend to worry a lot more about the people who make those insinuations if I were you. I refer to basil22 and, to a lesser degree, red rooster. At least my comments were based on reported facts. I worry a little about neighbourhood trouble makers and their idle gossip more than kids being rowdy!
R85
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3:49pm Mon 5 Mar 12
naughtyladyofshadylane
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4:15pm Mon 5 Mar 12
Last Poster
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8:56pm Mon 5 Mar 12
naughtyladyofshadylaNot to mention the £37,000 pile of scaffolding they put nearby this flat!
ne wrote:
apart from what you are saying about cost, I am wondering how one can put their hand through DG? I didn't think that was poss? getting back to cost, as its council I reckon they put it out to tender, took the highest bidder, cos you know they wont ever use the one man,sole trader co, that is not VAT registered? I really know not why? I reckon the Eo under the freedom of information act aught to be able to challenge that, the cost that is!!
naughtyladyofshadylane
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9:26pm Mon 5 Mar 12
sk1974
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9:40pm Mon 5 Mar 12
R85 wrote:The council haven't been quoted as saying it will cost £700, it's prob just her saying that, or echo reporter trying to make the headline sound more sympathetic to the reader?
I accidentally put my hand through our double-glazed smoked glass bathroom window a few months back – new double glazing and it cost me £20 – replacing myself of course! £700 – WTF?
naughtyladyofshadylane
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10:48pm Mon 5 Mar 12
Last Poster
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12:41pm Tue 6 Mar 12
naughtyladyofshadylaIt was referencing the £37,000 facilities across the way to this flat. Basically, it is like some scaffold tubes welded to become climbing frames, surrounded by cushionfloor. The reason I mentioned it was regarding the £700 bill for a sheet of glass, and how the council can elevate the value of items to ensure plenty of money flows through their faucets, or in this case to show just how wonderfully caring Barratt's (Who paid for that particular work of art) can be, doing things for the community, and also ensuring nobody notices the massive gift that our park is to them!
ne wrote:
did you all understand Eo shudda read Echo, sorry !! Whats that about the scaffolding??
naughtyladyofshadylane
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2:39pm Tue 6 Mar 12
sk1974
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2:47pm Tue 6 Mar 12
naughtyladyofshadylaNo idea but £700 seems an excessive amount of money for 3 small windows. None appear to look smashed either, walked past at the weekend, but then again it could be a tiny crack?
ne wrote:
do you really reckon the lady said that? I would not be able to state that without getting a quote !! Echo reporter, did you make that up??
naughtyladyofshadylane
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3:51pm Tue 6 Mar 12
sk1974
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6:50pm Tue 6 Mar 12
naughtyladyofshadylaYes it says 1 has been smashed but can't see any evidence of it as you walk past so was wondering if it was a tiny little crack visible under a magnifying glass?
ne wrote:
jus re read the article it only says one of them had been smashed, well!!!! but having said that perhaps they cannot be cleaned off, so have to all be replaced. Wonder if the council wants a quote !!
naughtyladyofshadylane
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7:15pm Tue 6 Mar 12
Last Poster
says...
9:33pm Tue 6 Mar 12
naughtyladyofshadylane
says...
9:38pm Tue 6 Mar 12
Audioman says...
3:29pm Fri 2 Mar 12
Plenty of houses for sale there too,and not pricey